Overview
- The juvenile humpback, refloated Tuesday about 3 p.m. after roughly 24 hours on a Wallis Lake sandbar, is now swimming freely.
- Sea World Foundation crews used large slings under the pectoral fins and a boat tow to free the 9.5 metre, 12 tonne whale after non-contact efforts failed.
- NPWS, ORRCA, Marine Rescue NSW, and the Forster Dive Centre mounted a coordinated response with roles split across animal care and vessel support.
- Rescuers report no entanglement or obvious injury, though the whale showed sunburn from exposure during the stranding.
- Teams are guiding it toward deeper water under 100 metre exclusion rules for boats and drones and 300 metres for jet skis, with a brief Forster–Tuncurry Bridge closure possible to cut disturbance during its exit.