| Whale Rider // Session 15 October 2009 By: Andrew Cassidy Location: Queensland Five-thirty surf check, On holidays with the caravan. Masses of people on the point Trying to see what they can. Distance is an issue, I grab my binoculars set. A baby whale is flipping and flapping. Oh no, it's caught in the shark net. Been over an hour now And still no sign of the rescue crew. I grab my SUP and go for a paddle To see what I can with a close up view. It's very choppy And quite a long way out, But I soon approach In time to see it spout. It looks very tangled With rope all around its tail. It keeps trying to get free - Fail, fail, fail. I can hear it screaming. It must be so scared. Where is its mother? I thought she would've cared. I'm focussed on the baby, Thinking how sad is this day? When out of the corner of my eye I see a sight that blows me away. Another dark grey mass, As long as a building is high, Is heading directly for me - I think I'm going to die. It's the baby's mother, Maybe she's mad at me. No, it's not me she is after, She has to get her beautiful calf free. She turns at the last minute And heads straight for the net. She rams it as hard as she can But the baby's tail is just too set. She tries over and over But to no avail. There is nothing I can do either So for shore I set sail. The hours pass - Still no help in view. Finally a Seaworld boat turns up To see what they can do. Big knives on poles, They try cutting the net. The baby whale panics, Back they must get. Twenty minutes pass. The rescuers are doing us proud And the baby breaks free To the cheers of the crowd.  | |
