They Couldn't Waste Time
The wind blew hard and mixed with the rain to spray on Julian's neck as he looked down at the water before taking the plunge. The boat was stuck and he had to figure out what was going on. They needed to get moving before the storm started.
But then one of the men on the boat pointed at the sight of a fin getting close to the boat. Julian was too close for shouts to be any use. He was already underneath the water.
Julian Dunggio
Julian Dunngio lived in Gorontalo, Indonesia, and loved the ocean more than anything. He loved the animals he found while on his adventures - pilot whales, dolphins, and whale sharks. Tourists always relied on him to show them.
Julian was a tour guide of sorts. He would show off the beautiful marine life that his country's waters had to offer. Julian loved adventure and felt that he had the perfect job for his curiosity.
On The Water
So after being on hour in on showing some tourists they noticed the dark stormy clouds approaching. The weather forecast said there wouldn't a cloud in the sky.
But at least Julian was ready for every contingency. Fishing would be much harder if he hadn't packed his weather equipment. But then they heard a ruckus beneath their boat.
Something Was Blocking The Way
Julian looked down into the water and saw something in the water near the boat. Being a curious person, he was interested. Whatever it was, it wasn't moving at all. But they had clearly just hit it and its mass was enough to stop the boat.
Julian felt water land on him as he stared at the creature. He decided he would jump into the water to figure out what it was. People wanted to stop him but clearly, they didn't know him very well.
A Huge Fin
Once Julian hit the cold water one of the men on the boat shouted to him, there was now a fin in the water. He shouted for him to come back, but he didn't hear him.
But Julian was underneath the surface of the water, he saw an orca that was 20-ft long! He was curious so he got a closer look, but he had no idea what would happen next!
The Orca Was Stuck
The poor orca was stuck in a fishing net from their boat and could hardly move. The animal was clearly scared and could panic at any time. Julian couldn't help himself, he had to do something.
He didn't hesitate, he grabbed the nets and removed them one by one. But the orca snapped at him, he tried to retreat, but it was no use.
In Danger
The orca started moving back and forth, rocking the boat above it. Julian swam up to hear his name being called, they were just happy he was alright, but they were the ones in danger now.
The waves were growing in size due to the pouring rain. But the most prominent danger right now was the boat being tipped over by the orca. They didn't have much time.
Team Work
Julian knew he couldn’t free the orca on his own and called a few other men to help him out. The only way to put it to an end was to team together and unwrap the fishing lines from the animal.
The four men started working together and removing each fishing line one by one. The orca began blowing water in an attempt to scare them away. The sudden water waves made it hard for them to see anything. One wrong move and it would be over. Then, the unthinkable happened.
The Fin
This was the first time in Julian’s life when he felt absolutely helpless. He knew a lot about orcas, and when they are stressed, they are capable of anything. The clock was ticking, and the weather was getting worse.
He needed to come up with a plan to calm the orca down so that they could unknot all the fishing lines. Julian glanced at the fin, and the first thought that came to his mind was to pet it. Would he regret it?
It Worked
Julian started petting the orca’s fin and speaking calmly to it. He didn’t know what else he could do at the moment and doubted it would even work. Then, to everyone’s big surprise, the orca stopped moving.
Julian kept petting the orca’s fin while the rest of the men continued removing the fishing lines from its body. But even after all the fishing ties were removed, the orca was still there. Something didn’t feel right.
Something Was Off
The orca was now free to go, but it wasn't moving at all for some reason. Julian felt torn. On the one hand, they needed to get back to the shore to escape the storm, but on the other hand, he desperately wanted to help the animal. He had gone such a long way already and didn’t want to give up now.
Now that the orca wasn’t preventing the boat from moving, people wanted to go back. So Julian decided to try one more thing. He grabbed a massive stick from the back of the fishing boat and pushed the orca with it. What happened next left him speechless.
The Orca Was Free To Go
Julian was afraid that something had happened to the orca in the process, and it could no longer move. But, after he gently pushed the animal with the stick, he saw its tail slowly moving, and soon the orca was moving its entire body.
Julian felt overwhelmingly happy, but they still had a long way to go. Would they make it back safe?
Safe at Home
Julian and the rest of the group made it back just before the thunder hit the area. This brave diver showed that even the most dangerous situations can be resolved with strategic thinking.
Julian and the owner of the fishing boat, Anshar Rahman, were later interviewed by the media. “If someone kills a strange animal in the sea, he and his family will live in bad luck. This is our ancestor’s message. Lots of evidence,” said Anshar Rahman. But this was only the beginning for Julian. Soon, the video of him helping the orca went viral.
The Video Was Uploaded to Facebook
Someone on the boat had recorded Julian untangling the fishing lines from the orca, and the video was noticed by Whale Stranding Indonesia. They uploaded it to their Facebook profile, explaining how the brave diver helped the animal.
"The fishers chose to rip their fishing net (and thus lost the two tonnes of fish they had caught earlier) to rescue the orca," the post said. People from all over the world were praising the diver. Julian used this opportunity to share an important message.
Not So Killer After All
Orcas, also known as killer whales, are the largest members of the oceanic dolphin family. They are majestic creatures that are also super fast. The average speed of an orca can reach up to 56 km/h.
While they certainly look intimidating and dangerous, Julian hopes his story will change people’s opinions on them. In fact, they even share some similarities to humans. According to one recent study that used drones to record orcas, it appears they also have “close friendships.” Orcas prefer to interact with others of the same age and sex as them.