Ivan Iskenderian and Michael Riggio were out on their fishing boat off the coast of Sydney, Australia when they suddenly noticed a large animal coming towards their vessel. The two were immediately frightened, as they could not tell what the animal was.

It was only when the creature got closer to their boat that they realized that it was a Southern Right Whale who had gotten caught in a fishing line.

Realizing that they whale needed their help, Ivan and Michael ditched their apprehension and leapt to action! Ivan bravely leaned over the boat and grabbed hold of the fishing line. Holding the edge of it, he was able to pull the fishing line away from the whale’s face and set the animal free!

“It was a bit daunting but the whale was very calm,” Ivan said afterwards. “He came up to the boat a couple of times, putting his head out of the water. There was a plastic bag and fishing line sitting on the side of his mouth, and it seemed like he wanted it taken off. So I dropped my phone, reached over and just grabbed it.”

Geoff Ross, a whale expert, explained that it’s likely that the whale knowingly went to the fishing boat looking for help.

“It is bizarre, really unique behavior for a wild animal, particularly for its size. But they are quite intelligent,” he said. “It approached the vessel from the stern, diving and looking at the boat before lifting its head out of the water to allow the fishermen to remove the entanglements from its lower jaw. It’s an extraordinary animal and all the more reason why it’s important to welcome large animals like this in our waterways.”

Ivan was just glad that he was able to help the whale when the creature needed it.

“I was pretty stoked I actually got it,” he said. “It was pretty good, a couple of people were clapping. That’s my good deed done for the day, I guess.”

Watch them save the whale in the video below!