{"id":326926,"date":"2026-03-03T16:28:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/326926\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T16:28:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:28:08","slug":"photographer-flies-drone-over-humpback-whale-realizes-its-in-grave-peril","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/326926\/","title":{"rendered":"Photographer Flies Drone Over Humpback Whale, Realizes It\u2019s in Grave Peril"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AerialJohn Kowitz <\/p>\n

Not long after setting off from the Hawaiian coast, underwater photographer John Kowitz and his team spotted two humpback whales and sent a drone up to scope them out \u2014 they immediately realized something was terribly wrong. <\/p>\n

Embedded deep into one of the whale\u2019s skulls were hundreds of feet of fishing gear and chains that the poor individual was forced to drag through the ocean. <\/p>\n

Despite the whale\u2019s obvious discomfort, it had a friend for company \u2014 perhaps comforting its injured companion. <\/p>\n

The boat\u2019s captain was trained in whale disentanglement and called the relevant NOAA authorities. The boat was granted a permit to begin documenting the animal. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor two and a half hours we took drone photos, topside DSLR photos, and Insta360 underwater footage to capture imagery of the nature of the entanglement in order to provide the NOAA response team with as much information as possible so they could organize a plan effectively,\u201d Kowitz explains in an Instagram post<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The photographer tells The Dodo<\/a> that he and his crewmates desperately wanted to help but lacked the proper tools and training to remove the fishing gear from the whale. They were forced to wait for the rescue team. <\/p>\n

\"AerialThe fishing line stretched for hundreds of feet. \"An@j.kowitz<\/a> <\/p>\n

Once the rescue team arrived, they \u201cworked tirelessly for five hours\u201d and scored an incredible result: they removed 251 feet of line, 10 feet of chain, and several hooks from the animal.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll in all, an approximate 320 feet of gear was removed from the whale,\u201d Kowitz says. \u201cAn asymmetrical cut was finally made near the mouth of the animal, which should allow the whale to shake free the line running through its mouth with ease now that all that drag had been removed.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Kowitz explains to PetaPixel that the NOAA attached buoys to the line to slow the whale down so they could get close enough to the animals to cut the lines and free the whale. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis was one of the most successful disentanglement efforts of the season, and this whale will most likely survive to live a much longer and healthy life once given time to recover,\u201d Kowitz says, calling his boat\u2019s role crucial. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe rescuers said the whale immediately started swimming faster and moving around a lot, like it had a newfound sense of freedom,\u201d Kowitz tells The Dodo.<\/p>\n

Kowitz urges everyone to be better stewards of our ocean. \u201cThe entanglements are happening more frequently due to commercial fishing increases,\u201d Kowitz adds. \u201cI\u2019ve seen it before with a mobula ray in Mexico and I see sharks tangled in fishing lines frequently.\u201d <\/p>\n

You can follow more of Kowitz\u2019s marine adventures on his Instagram<\/a> and website<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Image credits: Photographs by John Kowitz<\/p>\n