FREE WILLY
Brave sailor dives 40ft off cargo ship to save whale trapped in fishing net
Hero mariner risks life by leaping from giant vessel and swimming to aid of stricken sea mammal
THIS is the moment a brave merchant seaman dives off the side of a huge tanker to save a whale that was entangled in a fishing net.
Extraordinary video footage shows the crew of the Cheikh El Mokrani on deck as the stricken sea mammal flails about in the Mediterranean Sea below.
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But after briefly contemplating his mercy mission, a sailor decides he needs to jump into the sea and help the what appears to be a fin whale.
He then leaps 40ft off the 55,000 tonne gas tanker and lands just feet away from the mammal before swimming towards it and pushing its nose away.
A lifeboat from the ship appears to have been launched and other sailors help push the sea beast free.
Seamen can be heard cheering from the deck and the whale swims off.
The footage was filmed on Wednesday but has just surfaced.
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YouTube users have been praising the brave sailor.
Tom Scott said: “The feat was and is amazing to watch, it's good to see people who care and is willing to risk life and limb to save our planet.”
And John S wrote: “Fantastic humanitarian act of kindness, I applaud them.”
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