Dolphin entangled in ghost nets tastes freedom again after crew cleaning up ocean plastic steps in

We hear a lot about plastic polluting our ocean waters. Some of us have even made it a habit to avoid plastic straws for the sake of turtles and upcycle plastic bottles instead of throwing them away. Although these small acts of consideration go a long way, ocean waters still remain a threatening experience for marine life.

A helpless dolphin in Bali, Indonesia, experienced the brutality of human negligence but fortunately came across a few good Samaritans who saved it. The clean-up crew of @4ocean was cleaning up plastic from ocean garbage patches like they do all seven days of the week when their boat stumbled upon a dolphin stuck in a ghost net (a fishing line that's been abandoned in the ocean). 

These nets are usually left behind by local fishermen. The crew immediately halted their clean-up and carefully brought the dolphin onto the boat. The net was tightly knotted around the dolphin's mouth and tail causing it serious injuries. The crew cut through the line. The video of the incredible rescue was uploaded on their social media and has been viewed a whopping 1.1 million times within a month. The overlay text explained, "Every knot unraveled was a step towards freedom."

The dolphin was then set free but it paused for a few seconds as a gesture of acknowledgment and possible gratitude before swimming away and tasting freedom again. The caption explained, "An unforgettable moment of compassion and teamwork from our crew in Bali, Indonesia. During a routine cleanup mission, they came across this beautiful spinner dolphin entangled in fishing line and jumped into action to free it." 

The heart-wrenching incident took place in November 2020. Andi Rachmansyah, Director, Indonesia Operations, shared with Upworthy that on the vessel team "were Risallah, Nur Wahyudi, Mujtahidin and Husnan Sidik." Although the crew dropped everything to help out the dolphin, they had a few thoughts about the unforgettable experience.

"I was shaking when I touch the dolphin. I was afraid we hurt it more when we cut the fishing line," said Mujtahidin. "It is our responsibility to help each other. It was a very sad moment to see the dolphin," shared Risallah. "It was a shocking moment," for Wahyud as well. Cameraman Sidik added, "As the cameraman, this is one of the greatest moments. We will not experience this every day. We have the chance to free the dolphin and I am sure the dolphin is happy also." 

The marine life needs as much help as we can offer. 4ocean is a mission-driven Certified B Corp and Public Benefit Corporation dedicated to eradicating the ocean plastic catastrophe. It has removed 30 million pounds of rubbish from the world's waterways, setting a new record. They hire locals from the worst affected areas of the ocean plastic catastrophe and give them a full-time income, health insurance and comprehensive benefits. These are frequently fishermen and women whose livelihoods have been adversely affected by the rubbish that has harmed the ecosystem. The group is currently also selling limited-edition dolphin bracelets, the proceeds from which will contribute to the creation of cleaner habitats for our aquatic buddies to thrive in.

The team is known to help both animals and humans. 4ocean CEO and co-founder Alex Schulze previously made news when he stumbled upon something that clearly had value to someone. Schulze discovered a brand-new iPhone encased in a plastic bag while diving. The phone had been saturated and would not switch on. He charged it and called the person's emergency number in order to return it to its proper owner. Fortunately, the iPhone owner's mother was able to retrieve the smartphone from Schulze.