On her 32nd birthday, Gigi Torras had one of the most incredible experiences a marine biologist could ever ask for.
For only the third time in history, a humpback whale was spotted off the coast of Balearic Island in Mallorca, Spain. Unfortunately, the visiting mammal was tangled in red fishnet, a kind of netting that is so dangerous to sea life it was banned by the United Nations 30 years ago. The exhausted animal was so caught up in the net that she couldn’t even open her mouth. Without intervention, she’d surely die.
That’s when Gigi and a team of biologists from the local aquarium donned scuba gear, grabbed their knives, and jumped into the water right next to this massive 40-foot-long whale. They then spent a whopping 45 minutes cutting the net so this beautiful creature could be free once more.
“The first ten seconds she got a bit nervous, you know, like bubbles everywhere, but then… I don’t know, call me crazy, but I think she knew we were there to help her and she just relaxed and we started working from the front of her mouth backwards,” Gigi said.
Watch the video below for a taste of Gigi’s “out of this world” birthday experience, and don’t forget to share.
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