The orca that stranded near Korpúlfsstaðir on Tuesday night is now free of the shallows and swimming toward open waters, reports RÚV.
The whale became stranded around 21:00 on Tuesday night. Rescue teams arrived at the scene quickly and remained on the beach overnight, keeping the orca wet and stable. It refloated around 4:00 a.m. as the tide came in and attempted to swim off, but remained stuck in the shallows.
On Wednesday, rescuers waited for the tide to rise further. Around 5:00 p.m., with the help of boats, the orca was finally guided back to deeper waters.
“The operation involved getting behind the whale and sort of guiding it out of Gorvík, between the islands and into Faxaflói Bay. It went incredibly well,” said marine biologist Edda Elísabet Magnúsdóttir.
The image is from the archive and is used here for illustrative purposes only.