Whale of a Tale

Beach Goers Save Whales In Sea Isle City

John W. Morris - Action News Executive Producer

SEA ISLE CITY, N.J. - July 26, 2006 - Two pilot whales were pushed back into the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday night after they beached themselves in Sea Isle City.

The whales were rescued by dozens of beach goers.
The mother and her calf were spotted in very shallow water, just off the on the beach at 25th street around 5:00 Wednesday afternoon. People on the beach immediately jumped to help the whales, and were able to puch the calf back in the water.

They had a much more difficult time getting the larger mother off the sand and past the breakers.

People of all ages gathered around the whale and pushed for two hours, all while children stood on the beach chanting "save our whale."

Among the rescuers were workers from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine.

To protect the whale from the sun, they covered her with wet t-shirts. All the while, her rescued calf, stayed nearby, circling in the ocean about 30 yards away.

Shortly after 7:00, the people, described by the Coast Guard as Good Samaritans, threw up their arms and cheered. They'd gotten the whale out deep enough that she was able to swim on her own, and she went back out to see.

She was 20 to 25 feet long and weighed several tons.

There is no reason to think that she and the calf will not be able to recover and rejoin the rest of their pod in the Atlantic. Experts think the two ran into trouble while feeding too close to shore, and then got stuck in the shallow surf.

The workers from the stranding center remained at the beach for an hour after the rescue to make sure the two didn't return.

In all, more than 150 people took part in the rescue.

Action News reporter John Rawlins is in Sea Isle City and will have a live report on Action News at 11.

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