This whale was literally jumping for joy after a rescue crew saved her friend from drowning.
These extraordinary photos show a humpback whale ‘celebrating’ after another female was cut free from stray ropes attached to old lobster pots.
The stunning images were captured by Christine Callaghan, 62, off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.
She said: ‘I’ve seen many breaches, and they are always awesome. But this one was different and special in a way that made my throat tighten.’
The incredible moment was captured by Christine Callaghan, 62, a guide with a whale-watching cruiser in the region
Grommet the humpback whale bursts through the water in celebration after members of the Whale Rescue Team managed to free sidekick Foggy
Christine, a whale-watch guide with Pirate’s Cove Whale & Seabird Cruises, had been leading a trip when they received reports of an entangled whale and decided to take a detour.
The discovered a female humpback known as Foggy who had become ensnared in ropes from old lobster pots in the Bay of Fundy, two miles offshore of Long Island.
Foggy, described by Christine as a ‘Fundy favourite’, was born in 1987 to a whale named Bermuda.
Humpbacks return to the feeding grounds their mothers brought them to when they were calves, meaning Foggy returns to the bay year after year.
The whale had rope wrapped around her head and across her blowholes and peduncle – the narrow part of her tail, just ahead of the flukes.
A humpback whale swims in front of the Whale Rescue Team in the Bay of Fundy, two miles off the coast of Long Island in Nova Scotia
The humpback whale known as Grommet (front of pic) waits patiently by the side of Foggy after she became entangled in ropes in the Bay of Fundy
Foggy was dragging a mass of old lobster traps beneath her, causing her to list to one side with the weight of all the gear.
However, remaining faithfully by her side throughout the ordeal was a fellow humpback known as Grommet.
Another boat, the Shearwater, from the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, happened to be in the Bay and came to offer assistance.
The Shearwater crew were able to do an initial survey and radio through details to the Fast Response Craft that was speeding to the scene.
A member of the Whale Rescue Team prepares to use specialist equipment to disentangle old lobster pot lines from around Foggy
Members of Campobello Whale Rescue Team helped the whale, who had rope wrapped around her head and across her blowholes and peduncle
Foggy was dragging a mass of old lobster traps beneath her, causing her to list to one side with the weight of all the gear
The Shearwater crew were able to do an initial survey and radio through details to the Fast Response Craft that was speeding to the scene
The Campobello Whale Rescue Team then used specialist equipment to cut the rope snagging Foggy’s tail, and then the ones around her head.
The crew decided to leave a single strand in her mouth, fearing they would cause excessive bleeding if they dragged it out, and figuring that she would likely be able to rid herself of it.
The instant Foggy was freed, Grommet dove and then burst from the water in a spectacular celebratory breach.
Christine said: ‘The timing, immediately after the ropes were cut completely freeing Foggy, and the fact that it was Foggy’s ‘friend’ that breached, was so touching to me.
As Foggy was cut free from stray ropes by whale rescuers, Grommet breached next to the rescuer’s boat in an amazing display of thanks
Freedom! Foggy was freed and Grommet, who had remained faithfully by her side, was thrilled
‘Knowing how intelligent these animals are, and having observed Grommet’s steadfast, seemingly protective companionship of Foggy those several hours while we waited with them for the rescue boat, I personally interpreted that breach as an act of joy and celebration that her pal was out of danger.
‘Everyone on the boat felt a huge sense that we had just witnessed something wonderful.’
All present were left with a smile on their face as the two whales swam away side by side up the Bay, the northernmost reach of the whale feeding ground known as the Gulf of Maine.
The mouth of the Bay is one of the best places in the world to see several different species of whales, including finbacks, minkes, the very rare North Atlantic right whale and humpbacks.