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Nearly 20 people helped to get a small whale back into open water after it became beached at Spalding Cove in the Lincoln National Park on Monday night. A group of about 18 people made up of SES volunteers and members of the public assisted in the rescue of the small whale, believed to be a juvenile minke whale. The whale was first spotted by Sylvia and Phil Dansie who were anchored off Spalding Cove when there was some splashing heard in the water. Mrs Dansie said she thought it was a dolphin or a seal but saw nothing, then noticed "footprints" in the water and more splashing in the shallows. "I saw a dark shape on the beach at the other end, so I got in my dinghy to see what it was and it was a small whale," she said. Mrs Dansie said she believed a shark had chased the whale into the shallows because when she returned to it there was a swirl in the water and thought it was a shark waiting nearby. She called Tumby Bay Volunteer Marine Radio operator Gary Smith and just after 8pm Port Lincoln SES responded with 18 volunteers assisting with the whale, onboard Rescue 82 and at the unit. Under direction from National Parks South Australia buckets were used to keep the whale wet as people waited for National Parks staff to arrive. Mrs Dansie said the tide had started to come in and the whale was floated through a depression dug in the sand. National Parks arrived as the whale was swimming away and together with the Dansies guided it into open water. SES Port Lincoln deputy unit manager Scott Anderson said animal rescue was one of the service's responsibilities but this was the first time anyone from the unit had been involved in rescuing a whale.
Nearly 20 people helped to get a small whale back into open water after it became beached at Spalding Cove in the Lincoln National Park on Monday night.
A group of about 18 people made up of SES volunteers and members of the public assisted in the rescue of the small whale, believed to be a juvenile minke whale.
The whale was first spotted by Sylvia and Phil Dansie who were anchored off Spalding Cove when there was some splashing heard in the water.
Mrs Dansie said she thought it was a dolphin or a seal but saw nothing, then noticed "footprints" in the water and more splashing in the shallows.
"I saw a dark shape on the beach at the other end, so I got in my dinghy to see what it was and it was a small whale," she said.
Mrs Dansie said she believed a shark had chased the whale into the shallows because when she returned to it there was a swirl in the water and thought it was a shark waiting nearby.
She called Tumby Bay Volunteer Marine Radio operator Gary Smith and just after 8pm Port Lincoln SES responded with 18 volunteers assisting with the whale, onboard Rescue 82 and at the unit.
Under direction from National Parks South Australia buckets were used to keep the whale wet as people waited for National Parks staff to arrive.
Mrs Dansie said the tide had started to come in and the whale was floated through a depression dug in the sand.
National Parks arrived as the whale was swimming away and together with the Dansies guided it into open water.
SES Port Lincoln deputy unit manager Scott Anderson said animal rescue was one of the service's responsibilities but this was the first time anyone from the unit had been involved in rescuing a whale.
