A three-year-old grey whale found beached at Boundary Bay, Centennial Beach in Tsawwassen triggered a frantic rescue effort on Monday.
A dozen people volunteered to help in the rescue attempt as about 50 others watched. Off-duty Delta firefighters ran lengths of fire hose from a hydrant across the sandy flats to spray cold water on the stricken whale to keep it cool and wet as they waited for the tide. Officials with the Vancouver Aquarium had also put up a canopy over it to protect it from the sun.
The beached whale, which is about is 5.5 metres long, headed in the wrong direction with low tide and was struggling for life Monday morning.
Veterinarian David Huff of the Vancouver Aquarium said the female whale was suffering from an illness, reducing its chances of survival. "When you look at her she's really thin," he said. "She's lost a lot of weight, you can actually see her ribs, which is unusual, especially on a whale."
The lethargic whale hardly moved except to fill its lungs in gasping breaths.
Stewart Buchanan who lives nearby, was the first person to spot the stranded animal on Monday morning, and stayed by its side all day until the tide came in.
"It seemed to animate more and more throughout the day as if it was gaining strength rather than losing it, and when it started to flip that amazing tail, it was obviously an incredible effort," he said.
"It looked tired but it was an incredible effort to just get over the first couple of sandbars. It was just an awesome sight to see this beast move and get back into its proper environment."
Aquarium officials said the whale joined up with two other whales in Boundary Bay and swam off to the sea. The greys migrate north along the B.C. coast every spring from the Baja Peninsula to the Bering Sea.
