By Jorge Branco
The whale seemed like it was "asking for help".
Kayak tour guide Tyron van Santen had been up close with humpbacks before but nothing like this spine-tingling encounter with an injured juvenile.
Floating off the coast of Queensland's Double Island Point on Wednesday morning, the kayaker and his 18 backpackers were already enthralled by a pod of dolphins, when a humpback breached in the middle of them.
The 36-year-old from Victoria's south-west coast didn't notice the rope wrapped around the massive mammal's fin at first. He moved back to give it some space but the whale kept floating closer.
Tyron van Santen dives into the water to untangle rope from a humpback whale's fin off Double Island Point.Credit: Epic Ocean Adventures
The scars and open wounds streaking the eight-metre whale's textured skin caught his attention first.
"It was kind of like it was trying to show us something," the Epic Ocean Adventures tour guide said.
"It turned on its side and that's when I noticed the rope on its flipper."
Even for the life-long kayaker, this was a "once in a lifetime" moment, 15 to 20 minutes he would never forget.
Tyron van Santen said he felt "very small" in the water with the whale.Credit: Epic Ocean Adventures
Mr van Santen wouldn't normally have dreamed of jumping in the water with a whale, subject to several regulations regarding human interaction, but felt like it was trying to communicate.
"I've been kayaking out at Double Island Point for five years and I've seen quite a few whales come through and this one, I don't know, it just seemed really placid and it seemed like it really wanted me to help it out," he said.
"This one was continually turning on its side where the rope was and then just rolling back over.
"Rolling up against the kayak and turning on its side again, roll back over and it really felt like it was showing me the tangled flipper."
Without much thought, he dove in and started unwrapping the rope from around the eight-metre creature's fin, prompting a government warning for others not to follow suit.
"I felt very small," he said.
He followed the rope around the creature's giant body but had to give up when he traced it to the mouth, where the whale had apparently swallowed it.
"It was really upsetting obviously and just the initial reaction was to try and help it out as much as I can," he said.
"I really feel for the animal and hopefully it can get the help it needs."
The group returned to shore and Mr van Santen called environment officers.
A Department of Environment and Heritage Protection spokeswoman said officers were working with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to try to help the whale but there was no guarantee of success.
"This is a timely reminder to fishers and other marine users to be mindful of how they store and dispose of gear because of the impact it can have on whales and other wildlife," she said in a statement.
"EHP also strongly advises members of the public not to directly intervene when they come across marine animals in distress because of the very real risk of zoonotic diseases as well as the possibility of injury."