NEED TO KNOW
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TikTok creator Jacob Colvin filmed dozens of people attempting to turn the whale’s tail so it can catch the rising tide
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Marine biologist Carrie Newell warns that touching a whale is dangerous, illegal and could lead to serious injury as waves push the 25–30 ton animal inland
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Experts from multiple organizations are on site using ropes and pulleys as they hope for a high-tide miracle
A dramatic rescue attempt on the Oregon Coast is drawing national attention after TikTok creator Jacob Colvin — known online as @Jake.pnw — captured the frantic efforts to save a stranded humpback whale fighting for its life in freezing surf.
In his video, Colvin films as a dozen bystanders brace themselves against powerful waves, gripping ropes and pushing against the massive animal in hopes of turning its tail toward the rising tide. At one point, Colvin warns viewers that “if it gets picked up by a wave and dropped on somebody, that is 80,000 pounds,” as the exhausted whale thrashes in the current.
Colvin exclusively tells PEOPLE that he rushed to the scene after receiving a call from “a close friend” saying a live humpback was stranded and “crying out for help” on the beach. He immediately drove an hour to reach the site around 9 p.m. on Nov. 15.
Jacob Colvin
The humpback whale beached
“When I got on scene, there were about 20 people next to the whale,” he says. “They had a rope tied to the whale’s tail and a line of people pulling the rope, while a group of people were pushing the whale’s head. They were trying to rotate the whale so that it would face outward towards the ocean.”
But the conditions, he adds, were extremely dangerous. “This is during ‘King Tide’ season,” Colvin explains. “This is when the water is the coldest, roughest and most dangerous. Several people were falling into the ripping currents. I actually had to rescue a lady twice from getting swept out. It was a miracle that nobody was hurt.”
In the video, Colvin narrates as waves knock volunteers to their knees and ropes slip from their hands. The whale, he says, is “exhausted, frustrated,” while the “current is so strong” that even experienced beachgoers struggle to stay upright.
As the footage spread, marine biologist Carrie Newell of Whale Research Eco Excursions urged the public to stay back. In a statement posted to the organization’s Facebook page, she stressed that a beached whale is already in critical condition — and that approaching one is dangerous for both humans and the animal.
“Whales were designed to live in the water,” Newell explained. “A beached whale therefore is not buoyed up by the water, so the internal organs are being compressed, which is causing additional complications. This in itself can be life-threatening to the whale.” She added that the thick blubber that keeps humpbacks warm in the ocean can cause them to dangerously overheat on land.
Newell, a member of the Stranding Network, says she is assigned to crowd control and education and emphasized that “human safety is our first priority.” While everyone hopes the whale will survive, she warns that “chances are slim” for such a large animal stuck in the surf.
She also noted that towing an adult humpback is nearly impossible, recalling that even pulling a dead baby sperm whale once required running her boat at full throttle. With this whale “tumbling in the surfline,” she says any intervention must be weighed carefully.
Later that evening, Newell provided another update, identifying the animal as a juvenile — likely 2 to 3 years old and weighing 25 to 30 tons. She reported seeing four people attempting to push the whale and warned that they could easily be crushed as waves push the animal toward shore.
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She also noted signs the whale had been entangled in a crab pot line, a recurring hazard for migrating whales, and pushed for stronger laws addressing abandoned fishing gear.
Jacob Colvin
Oregon residents surrounding the beached humpback whale
Experts from multiple organizations have since arrived with ropes, pulleys and other equipment, even discussing digging a trench to help the whale. Newell shared that she is “hoping against hope for a miracle for this beautiful animal.”
Colvin, who has continued documenting the situation, says the whale remains alive on the beach two days later. “Officials have asked people to not intervene,” he tells PEOPLE, explaining that they believe the whale is healthy enough that it may still be able to survive through natural “self-rescue” if the tide turns in its favor.
“I’m trying to stay optimistic,” he says. “But it’s hard to watch officials not doing more. Oregon is a ‘let nature take its course’ state when it comes to whale strandings.” Still, he adds, the dozens of people returning to check on the whale each day “are all doing the same — hoping for the best.”
Read the original article on People
