I know most of the world is anxious for the start of the Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week tomorrow.

But let’s not neglect some of the other beasts in the sea. And in this case, unlike most shark stories, it has a happy ending.

Michael Fishbach, one of the co-founders of the Great Whale Conservancy, had one of those rare encounters with a creature of Nature that should make everyone realize we all have a place on this planet.

Fishbach and his crew found a whale they thought was dead. After approaching it, the giant mammal let out a blast through her blow hole to let them know she was still alive, even if it was barely. The whale they named Valentina, because their meeting was on February 14th of this year, was so entangled in fishing nets that she couldn’t move at all. Her fins were pinned against her body, and Fishbach feared the whale had only about an hour left to live. Even heroic dolphins couldn’t have saved this whale.

Working feverishly to save the endangered animal, they cut away the nets and eventually freed Valentina. As either a show of elation and freedom or as a “thank you” to her new friends, the whale made an amazing dance of breaching and tail-slapping before swimming away. Fortunately she did her “dancing” far enough away to keep from smashing into their boat. This time there would be no need for a whale funeral.

Fishbach’s crew taped the encounter, which did thankfully have a happy ending. If you want to get straight to the whale joy, forward to the 6:30 mark or so, but it’s worth watching the whole video to see the real worry that this wonderful animal might not survive.

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