A Virginia diver became a true friend of the sea Friday when he equipped only with a snorkel, a knife, and a GoPro.
Adrian Colaprete was fishing on a boat with two friends about 50 miles off Virginia Beach when they spotted the rare creature. They quickly realized it was caught on something and began following it with the boat. When they were close enough, Colaprete jumped in to assess the situation.
After observing the whale’s pattern of movement, Colaprete was able to come up beside it and cut the ropes wrapped around its fluke. You can watch the rescue in full detail below:
Right whales were nearly hunted to extinction in the 19th century. Only a few hundred remain in the wild today.