Trapped shark gets a helping hand in scuba dive surprise

Okaloosa Island, Florida - A nurse shark snagged on a fishing line got help from scuba divers in a surprising and wild rescue mission!

A nurse shark got snagged on a fishing line and needed help to get free. Luckily, a bunch of scuba divers came to its rescue.
A nurse shark got snagged on a fishing line and needed help to get free. Luckily, a bunch of scuba divers came to its rescue.  © Collage: Screenshot/Twitter/tazzfeldedives

A father and son diving duo was down below in about 20 feet of water at John Beasley Park on Okaloosa Island at Fort Walton Beach in Florida when they spotted something truly unusual.

The scuba divers spotted a pinned down nurse shark in the artificial reef system. The two tried their best to free the trapped fish, but had no luck, as Fox5 reported.

The worried duo notified a woman at the local snorkel shop, who in turn called her husband Tazz Felde, a scuba instructor with Under Pressure Divers.

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When Tazz heard about the tangled critter, he and a friend swam out to see if they could help.

The shark had gotten stuck on a huge hook.
The shark had gotten stuck on a huge hook.  © Screenshot/Twitter/tazzfeldedives

The shark swims free and takes the diver's pliers with it

Tazz working to free this nurse shark from the fishing gear that had it pinned.
Tazz working to free this nurse shark from the fishing gear that had it pinned.  © Screenshot/Twitter/tazzfeldedives

The scuba instructor and his friend soon found the area and the entangled shark, who couldn't get out.

"It was between 6 and 7 feet...It was a pretty big shark," Tazz said.

"The area that they described where the shark was, it was there," he added. "The shark was right on the bottom, and you can see it can only move its head just a little."

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Luckily, the expert could cut the 120-pound test line's steel leader, which attached to the hook in the shark's mouth, as his buddy caught the rescue on camera.

As soon as the lead was cut, the shark made a swim for it. It took off so fast that Tazz didn't get the chance to pull the hook or his pliers off of the fish's mouth!

The scuba instructor hopes the tackle and tool will rust and fall off.

"I just wanted to make sure that the thing was going to be free and live the rest of his life happy," Tazz said. "Just watching it swim away was the reward."

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshot/Twitter/tazzfeldedives

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