Tour guide and professional diver Julio Cesar Castro joined forces with other volunteers to rescue a humpback whale on Monday (July 29) which was trapped in a fishing net near El Nuro beach off the Peruvian coast.

Every summer the northern coastline of Peru receives these huge visitors arrive from the frozen antarctic waters, attracting attention from local and international tourists.

Humpback whales, once prized by hunters for their blubber, can weigh up to 40 tons and span 60 feet (18 meters) in length.

Humpbacks are best known for periodically jumping out of the water, or breaching, behaviour that has attracted throngs of people who take to the seas to engage in whale-watching.