Heartbreaking Video: Humpback Whale Badly Entangled off Dana Point

A humpback whale was found entangled off Dana Point Harbor today. The whale was observed by whale watching boats from Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari and Dana Wharf Sportfishing, but it was too late in the day for rescue team members to attempt a disentanglement. The whale is severely entangled with line wrapped around its head and what appears to be a drum or buoy attached. It was last seen very close to shore and heading south.

The public’s help is needed to relocate this humpback whale. If the whale is seen please do not approach the animal and do not make an attempt to remove any of the line. Call 1-877-SOS-WHALe (1-887-767-9425) or call Captain Dave at 949-488-2828.

Nearly 1,000 dolphins and whales worldwide are killed every day because of fishing gear entanglement. Over 40 whales have been entangled just this year off the coast of California according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA).

Captain Dave organized Orange County’s first whale disentanglement group in 2008 and has successfully disentangled several gray whales, including Lily, whose disentanglement in Dana Point Harbor made national headlines. Captain Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Safari is only the second commercial operation in the United States to be licensed by the government to help whales in distress.

Submitted by Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari and Dana Wharf Sportfishing