13/08/2026
✋🐋 In what has been an unprecedented week, conducted their fifth whale rescue operation in as many days, with the experienced team responding to a young humpback whale entangled with a large buoy just off Byron Bay.
Early yesterday, the team raced down from Sea World - Gold Coast, Australia and met up with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Marine Parks team just off The Pass at Byron Bay to find the juvenile whale. Upon approaching the whale, the team identified the buoy was part of a drumline set-up with a hook embedded in the whale’s right pectoral flipper, pinning it to its body and restricting its movement.
Using specialised equipment, the team attached their larger buoy to the entangled buoy with the aim to bring the flipper to the surface to give access to remove. As this was not achievable, the team removed the original buoy which allowed the whale to return to a normal swimming pattern. Unfortunately the hook and a small length of chain were left on the whale.
The team were pleased to leave the whale in a better position than when they found it and upon further inspection of the underwater vision, are hopeful the hook, which was only slightly embedded, will work itself out over the coming days.
It is disappointing to see any animal in distress, but we are proud to be able to help these whales get back on their migration, and we encourage anyone who see an animal that’s needs assistance to call our team who are on call for marine animal rescues 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call 07 5588 2222 (9:00am to 5:00pm) or 07 5588 2177 (After Hours) if you find a sick, injured or stranded marine animal in the wild.
🎥 Epic drone vision courtesy of Tanya Snowden from ORRCA and Scott Robert Dronography
This activity was conducted under NSW Biodiversity Conservation Licence MWL000100249.
