Spectacular moment humpback whale performs to thank rescuers for saving it

Hundreds of feet of heavy duty line had wrapped around the adult whale's mouth, forming a bridle, before twisting under its body and then stretching off into the distant depths.

A trained response team managed to speed to the stricken 35-ton whale as it languished off the Hawaiian island of Maui at the weekend, the fifth case of a whale become entangled in the archipelago's waters in recent months.

After launching an inflatable dinghy from the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary's response vessel, Koholā, the rescue team had to wait for the highly active whale to calm down before they could begin the delicate operation of removing the gear from its head and mouth.

Although the rescuers managed to cut away 110ft of line, light was fading and so the team attached a tracking buoy to the remaining length of gear so the whale could be followed the next day.

Hours later, the team, working under the authorisation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, began the next stage of the operation, slowly and methodically pulling the remaining length of gear from the whale's mouth.

The team were able to achieve the manoeuvre by keeping the whale calm while it pointed its head in the right position towards the surface of the water

Almost 24-hours after first being sighted in difficulty, the team were able to keep steady tension on the line and pull it away from the whale's mouth.

Almost immediately, the whale performed a series of breaches, leaping almost clear of the water and coming down with heavy splashes.

It is believed the whale has an excellent chance of a full recovery.

The gear is being analysed to determine its origins.

Mariners are being alerted to keep a look out for any more whales in distress in Hawaiian waters, but are being warned not to get too close to the marine mammals or try to help them.

It is illegal to approach a humpback whale closer than 100 yards, or 1,000 yards by aircraft.