Watch: Heroic Divers Rescue Trapped Whale Sharks

A team of divers came to the heroic rescue of a quintet of endangered whale sharks tangled in fishing nets off the coast of Indonesia, and it was all caught on video.

In the dramatic footage of the rescue effort, which was recorded in March but only surfaced online recently, a scuba team went about gently removing the netting from around the gigantic creatures. As the team performed the arduous process of unwrapping the adult whale sharks, which can grow to be the size of a school bus, schools of smaller fish were likewise released from the nets.

After clearing them of obstructions, the divers guided the sharks towards safer waters. Suffice it to say, however, they needed very little encouragement to hightail it out of there.

Whale sharks are typically found in tropical waters where they feast upon plankton and smaller fish, often traversing large swaths of the ocean to find enough nourishment to sustain their voracious hunger. The slow-moving, filter-feeders are the largest fish in the world, and are listed as an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list.

Often referred to as the ocean’s gentle giants, these titanic ocean dwellers are more akin to whales than sharks.

It’s likely that the whale sharks became caught in the fishing nets as they were looking for food. Incidental bycatch, which occurs when marine animals are accidentally caught or tangled in fishing gear, is one of the biggest threats facing the species, in addition to direct hunting. They’re frequently targeted for their meat and their hide, despite being protected under an assortment of laws.

Oddly, this incident is nearly identical to another episode six years ago which also occurred off the coast of Indonesia. In 2017, divers rescued four adolescent whale sharks from fishing nets.

Luckily, none of the whales in either situation were harmed. Yet, both predicaments highlight the risks posed towards one of the most vulnerable species still in existence.