DUCK, N.C. (AP) – A crowd of concerned onlookers cheered as a humpback whale stuck on a sandbar was able to free itself and swim back to sea.
News outlets report that the whale was spotted Wednesday morning off the coast of Duck, a town in Dare County. Within two hours, the 35-foot-long young whale was able to break free.
Duck Director of Public Information Denise Walsh said in a statement that two other whales waited in the water beyond the sandbar for the stuck whale to return to deeper waters.
Biologists who were called to the scene were able to determine the whale was not entangled and did not appear sick. Walsh says the whale, which weighs about 5 tons, could have been chasing fish.
Photos released by the town of Duck showed the whale just off the beach and a crowd of onlookers watching and cheering.
