A VIDEO captures the heartwarming moment a dolphin was saved from drowning by kayakers after getting hopelessly tangled in seaweed.
The rescuers were alerted to the dolphin’s distress by the postman who spotted it on his round on the Isle of Barra in the Western Isles yesterday (Monday).
Remarkable footage from after the rescue shows the freed dolphin putting on a show by leaping in the open water.
Chris Denehy, the owner of Clearwater Paddling, rushed to the secluded spot at Northbay and used his hands and paddle to free the traumatised creature.
When it was finally back in open water the young dolphin put on a show for the kayakers, leaping around delight.
The rescue was captured on film – much to the surprise of Chris who thought he’d turned the helmet-mounted camera off.
Chris explained: “The postman stopped me and said, ‘Can you go see if you can get the dolphin out?’ We were one of the kayak trips that we run.
“There were three juvenile dolphins. One of them was really trapped in the weeds. He was literally drowning because the weed was pulling him under.
“They are very small, we think they might be juveniles that were split from the pod. There is a resident pod in the sound of Barra.”
The 53-year-old continued: “I used my ore but pushed him out with my hands mostly.
“He did seem quite distressed and must have been in there a while.”
Chris has been running kayak trips for the last 14 years but was taken aback by the display of gratitude the dolphins put on – leaping out of the water just metres from his boat.
“It was amazing,” he said.”They all just started leaping, it was amazing.”
