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The scientists tracked the whale throughout the morning, waiting for the right moment to try to slice away the last ropes and the heavy trap. The whale came to the surface to breathe—this was the moment. The team drove the boat right up behind the whale. Looking into the clear water, they stuck out a long pole with a very sharp knife at one end. Careful not to cut the sensitive flesh, they found the right spot. With a twist of the blade, the rescue was complete. The ropes spun off, the trap fell away, and the whale was free! “It was a phenomenal experience,” said Keith Yipp, a WET team member and marine biologist at SeaWorld. “These animals would per- ish if we didn’t intervene. It wasn’t their fault.” The best news? More than three months later, a group of students were on a whale-watching boat in Monterey Bay.They were taking part

As the tangled whale surfaces to breathe (spout at right), the WET team zips close in an inflatable. The long pole has a sharp knife at the end to slice through the rope binding the whale.

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