Divers free tangled whale shark off Waikiki

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A routine snorkel trip turned into a whale shark rescue after a rope was spotted tangled around the animal’s body.

Island Splash Tours staff were in the water with customers when the boat crew started waving them over.

“Normally, that means there’s something cool in the water nearby,” said photographer Emma Carlton.

The crew spotted a whale shark swimming just off Waikiki at Turtle Canyon.

It was a special moment for Carlton and business owner Preston Heede, who had never seen a whale shark up close before.

“It’s our absolute dream to see one,” said Carlton. “We just started booking it over there. I didn’t even notice the rope in the first couple of seconds.”

Once they spotted the rope around the whale shark, Heede started asking nearby boats for a knife.

After about five minutes, one of the deckhands gave him a knife, and Heede immediately went to work.

“The whale shark luckily wasn’t that far beneath the surface,” Carlton said. “It was only about 10 feet, so he was able to keep going repeatedly back up and down.”

About 10 to 15 people from other boats joined Carlton and Heede in the rescue. Some held GoPros and knives, and Carlton said it became chaotic.

“Preston had to speak up and tell everyone, ’make sure you’re cutting in one spot because the rope was as thick as his leg,’” she said.

It took 30 minutes before the whale shark was free. The animal later dove about 30 feet below the surface as Heede brought the rope back onto the tour boat, where customers were still watching the rescue unfold.

“It was almost as if the whale shark knew that they were trying to help her because she just sat at the surface for like 10 minutes and just sat there and let them work at the rope,” Carlton said. “It goes to show that, to one, not leave trash in the ocean. Don’t leave any nets or anything behind.”

Carlton dropped off the rope to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Wednesday.

Staff told her this was the first time gear had ever been removed from a whale shark in Hawaii’s history. They plan to study the rope to determine its origin and how to remove entanglements from any marine life.

“It’s just truly amazing,” said Carlton. “We’re just so lucky that it was just the right place, right time.”

Carlton later found out the whale shark was a juvenile female, referring to her as a “little teenager.”

She hopes to spot an oceanic manta ray or an orca next.