Divers came to the rescue of a bottlenose whale in distress on the northern shore of Reykjavík yesterday afternoon. The whale had swam into the old harbour, as well as onto the shore several times before divers managed to guide it back out to sea.
An unusual sight
The whale was first spotted by the staff of Elding whale watching when they arrived at work yesterday morning. It is unusual for whales to swim into the harbour, and the staff had never before seen a bottlenose whale this near the harbour. It is unclear why the whale had swam into the harbour, but it seemed to be in distress.
The staff of Elding caught the following video of the whale swimming in the harbour:
Looked lethargic
Two divers who were called in to assist in directing the whale back out to sea said she looked like she was lost. One of the divers, told the local newspaper Morgunblaðið that the whale had swum right up to the breakwater. He said that he initially thought the whale was actually dead. It was completely still when we approached it. When the divers got closer to the whale it stirred:
She looked lethargic, but then she came back to life, and we managed to push her back from the shore.
After the whale had been pushed out of the old harbour it swam along the north coast, swimming in the shallows along the breakwater where travellers and locals alike watched anxiously. The animal seemed to be in serious distress. Finally it swam off after being guided from the coast by the divers.
The National Broadcasting Service RÚV reports that later in the day the whale could still be seen swimming near the coast off Grandi on the western edge of the old harbour. The whale seemed to be in better condition.
The following video was shot when the divers tried to push the whale away from the breakwater on the northern shore.
Divers came to the rescue of a bottlenose whale in distress on the northern shore of Reykjavík yesterday afternoon. The whale had swam into the old harbour, as well as onto the shore several times before divers managed to guide it back out to sea.
An unusual sight
The whale was first spotted by the staff of Elding whale watching when they arrived at work yesterday morning. It is unusual for whales to swim into the harbour, and the staff had never before seen a bottlenose whale this near the harbour. It is unclear why the whale had swam into the harbour, but it seemed to be in distress.
The staff of Elding caught the following video of the whale swimming in the harbour:
Looked lethargic
Two divers who were called in to assist in directing the whale back out to sea said she looked like she was lost. One of the divers, told the local newspaper Morgunblaðið that the whale had swum right up to the breakwater. He said that he initially thought the whale was actually dead. It was completely still when we approached it. When the divers got closer to the whale it stirred:
She looked lethargic, but then she came back to life, and we managed to push her back from the shore.
After the whale had been pushed out of the old harbour it swam along the north coast, swimming in the shallows along the breakwater where travellers and locals alike watched anxiously. The animal seemed to be in serious distress. Finally it swam off after being guided from the coast by the divers.
The National Broadcasting Service RÚV reports that later in the day the whale could still be seen swimming near the coast off Grandi on the western edge of the old harbour. The whale seemed to be in better condition.
The following video was shot when the divers tried to push the whale away from the breakwater on the northern shore.
