Members of the team who embarked on a seven-hour mission in June to rescue a humpback whale tangled in fishing line happened to come across the saved creature about three weeks ago. Much to his dismay, Captain Dave Beezer — and his crew aboard the Condor Express — said the mammal was covered in sea lice and noticeably thin. Beezer said he was worried it wasn’t going to survive, but nevertheless remained “cautiously optimistic.”
Fast forward to Monday, and the whale has made a complete turnaround, Beezer is happy to report. Lucky, the whale’s new name, had shed the white parasites and packed on weight. Though he travels into the Santa Barbara Channel every day for whale watching tours, Beezer said he was surprised he came across the same animal that he, along with a whale entanglement team (WET), had put in serious elbow grease to save.
Another tangled whale, saved by another WET after a two-and-a-half week rescue mission in May, was also recently spotted and is reportedly doing well.