THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, December 5, 1994 TAG: 9412050050
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PEA ISLAND REFUGE LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
The Chicamacomico Banks and Hatteras Island rescue squads have seen more than their share of victims willing to be rescued from life-threatening situations.
But never one more willing than the party in distress Sunday afternoon.
Seven emergency rescue workers, including two off-duty Coast Guardsmen, saved a 32-foot humpback whale that was tangled in a 6-by-100-foot gill net about 300 yards off the coast. The mammal was freed about 4 p.m. and, at last view, was alive and well.
The rescuers used three raftlike Zodiac rescue craft to free the whale from the three-eighths-inch netting, which is commonly used by trawlers fishing for trout and bluefish in the Atlantic. Three other whales were also spotted nearby but did not get caught in the monofilament tangle.
``The whale was moving south at a pretty good clip through the water when the boats approached,'' said Kevin Goode of Rodanthe, a member of the Chicamacomico squad. ``When the boats got next to the whale, it just stopped, like it was saying, `Do something.' ''
The rescuers responded to the massive animal's silent request, battling chilly Atlantic waters, fatigue and the uncertainty of dealing with an unpredictable creature.
Lou Browning, 39, of Frisco, a member of the Hatteras crew and an avid whale watcher, said the whale must have sensed that she was among friends.
``She was real docile,'' he said. ``Once we got next to her, it was like she knew what was going on. We were trying to pull the net off her head and away from her left pectoral (fin), and she just lifted her head up. She stayed up for a long time. It's like she sensed we were trying to help.''
The crews were also able to remove much of the netting from her tail, but not all of it.
``She wouldn't keep her tail up long enough,'' he said. ``But she was able to swim around. When we left her, she was swimming around the area trying to get her bearings.''
Samples of the net were to be turned over to the National Marine Fisheries office in Beaufort. A specialist from the agency was dispatched to Pea Island Sunday afternoon but did not arrive in time for the rescue.
The whale was first spotted about 10:30 a.m. Sunday by fishermen on the beach. Their sighting was confirmed from the air by the Coast Guard. The Hatteras and Chicamacomico crews, made up of volunteers, arrived about 1 p.m.
``I don't think I was ever afraid,'' Browning said. ``We talked about it, and the one thing we didn't want to do was get a boat tangled up with her in the net. As we pulled it (the net) off, we kept it bunched up in our hands.''
The squads also cut the engines on the three craft, paddling with their hands to get a closer look.
``You don't want to use the engines,'' said Bob Helle, who is stationed with the Coast guard's Group Cape Hatteras. ``We wanted to try to keep the animal calm.''
Helle and fellow Coast Guardsman Barry Glisson had been set to enjoy a day off.
``I was just doing some cleaning up,'' said Glisson, a fireman in the Coast Guard. ``Then we heard the call. We just got right down here. The water's nice and chilly, but we got a big percentage of the net off.''
Browning got the biggest surprise of the day. During the rescue, he was treated to a unique Christmas-season experience - a ``Nantucket sleigh ride'' courtesy of the humpback.
``I had hold of the net, and it pulled me through the water for about 100 yards. It was a thrill,'' he said. ``I've been to Newfoundland several times to watch whales, but I've never been that close.''
As darkness descended on the gray waters off Hatteras, little hoopla greeted the crews after their heroic deed. But there was no mistaking the joy made manifest by handshakes, big grins and occasional cries of ``Free Willy,'' the movie that featured a whale as its main character.
``I'm not tired right now,'' said Steve Simmons, a member of the Chicamacomico group. ``I'm still feeling the high. I'm sure after a while, it will set in, but not now.'' by CNB