Whale tangled in rope off Cottesloe Beach visibly distressed as DBCA crew races to cut gentle giant free

Rescuers have freed a whale entangled in ropes off the coast in Perth’s south.

The dramatic rescue unfolded over several tense hours on Saturday afternoon after a member of the public at North Mole in Fremantle spotted an eight-metre long whale caught in fishing rope about 2pm.

The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions immediately responded to the report, dispatching the DK Coughran from Fremantle.

While the crew of six was en route, Fremantle Sea Rescue and Whitfords Sea Rescue managed locate the whale off Cottesloe and stayed with it until the Parks and Wildlife Service team arrived.

Entangled in fishing rope, the whale — believed to be a young adult — was visibly struggling.

Beach-goers reported seeing it surfacing repeatedly as it swam just metres from shore.

The gentle giant’s cries of distress as it battled to free itself could also be heard by locals walking along the popular stretch.

Perth local Gabby Thompson told The Sunday Times that the whale was “flapping around in the water and I could hear it splashing.”

“We were walking along Cottesloe beach around 3.30pm and saw a puff of air and realised it must be a whale,” she said.

“It was very close to shore and looked like it was tangled up in some rope or fishing line.

“Once it was freed everyone on the beach cheered.”

During a three-hour-long operation, the Parks and Wildlife Service crew attached five “kegs” (or floats) and a satellite tracker to the whale to slow it down.

“The crew then used a smaller point boat to approach the whale and successfully cut the cray pot rope, also detaching the kegs and tracker,” a DBCA spokesperson told The Sunday Times.

The gentle giant was fully disentangled and swam away northwards.

If you see an entangled whale, please call the Wildcare Helpline immediately on 9474 9055.

Please do not attempt to intervene yourself or remove any trailing ropes or line as this can hinder disentanglement efforts by trained experts.