Life is full of surprises, both good and bad. What’s more important is that regardless of what surprises come in our path, they have the ability to teach us something or make us better people. One unexpected incident occurred when a family went on a sailing trip, and while it wasn’t the most positive thing to encounter, we’re glad it did.
To get to the story, Michael Fishbach, the co-founder of the Great Whale Conservatory, set sail with his family one day with the intention to just relax and enjoy their little trip. But most of the time, things are different than we imagine. That’s exactly what happened when Michael and the other members aboard his boat spotted a humpback whale tangled in an enlarged net. The first assumption they had regarding the limp whale was that she was already dead.
Next thing you know, the endangered whale gives the Fishbach family a sign that she is in fact still alive by taking a nice, deep breath out of her blowhole. However, with the net constraining her, there was no way the poor whale could swim away, forcing her to stay put.
That’s when Michael decided to take a big risk by saving the big beast. Now, this wouldn’t be the safest thing to do. Not only is a whale considerably larger than a human, but any animal under danger is not guaranteed to react kindly to others who come near it, even if their intention is to help.
Fortunately, the family had a knife on hand, carefully cutting the net little by little while keeping the whale calm at the same time, so she wouldn’t freak out on the rescuers.
Next thing you know, the whale was free! While she quickly swam away, she made sure to perform a little show for the family to show her appreciation for their help. She ended up swimming nearby and playing with the family for about an hour!
In celebration of the rescue, the Fishbachs ended up naming the whale Valentina. If it weren’t for Michael and his family being out at sea, let alone seeing that there was a trapped whale, Valentina surely would not have been able to survive.
Stories like this one make my heart smile.
Watch the video below to check out the whale rescue for yourself. Then, ‘like’ and share the video to let the Fishbach family know you loved their selfless act!
