The cold breeze was mixed with raindrops, sending shivers down his spine as it hit his bare back. He took a deep breath and counted to three before jumping into the wild sea. Their boat wasn’t moving and they had to figure out what was causing it before it was too late. The harsh storm would start at any second. That was when one of the fishermen saw the fin in the water. It was only a meter from their boat. He lunged forward and shouted at him, but he was too late. Julian was in the water.

Act Fast

Julian Dunngio lived in Gorontalo, Indonesia for his entire life. Julian loved the ocean, he was an experienced diver. His region in Indonesia was home to whale sharks, spinner dolphins, pilot whales and so many more unique sea creatures. Less than 10% of sea creatures in this region have been classified, which means that visitors will most likely come across a few unknown species. Julian was passionate about his job. Every day, he would take tourists out on the water and explore marine life with them. He was an amazing diver, tourists always felt safe by his side. He loved watching wild creatures roam the ocean, it amazed and calmed him. Julian had always been a curious person, that was why he loved trying all kinds of new activities. One day he decided to join a fishing expedition instead of leading a diving tour. But this decision would change his entire life.

Gorontalo, Indonesia

Julian had been on the boat for an hour when everyone on board noticed the dark grey clouds. Julian was confused, when he had checked the weather forecast, it said that it would be clear and sunny all day. Julian was the only one that brought rain gear with him. Fishing without it proved to be nearly impossible. Everyone agreed that it was safest to return back to shore before the storm started. But that was when they heard the loud noise beneath the boat.

Return To Shore

Julian quickly looked down to see what was going on and spotted something large floating underneath the boat. He had no idea what it was but he was curious. The creature was barely moving, but it was so large and heavy that it slowed down the boat. A light drizzle fell from the sky. Julian had to do something. He decided that he would jump into the water and see what kind of animal it was. Everyone else told him not to do it, but Julian was too curious to listen to them. He wasn’t prepared for what was under them.

Underneath Them

But as soon as Julian jumped into the ocean, another fisherman saw the fin next to the boat. His stomach twisted as he jumped up and screamed for Julian to get back on the boat. But Julian was already underwater. He soon recognized what the animal was. It was a 20-feet long orca. But something was wrong with it. Julian needed to get a better look, but he didn’t know what he was in for.

20-Feet Orca

The orca was trapped and caught in the boat’s fishing lines and it was struggling to move. It was stressful and Julian could tell. He knew he needed to help it. He wasn’t scared, he just wanted to help. Without a second thought, he grabbed one of the fishing lines and tried his best to remove it from the orca. Julian went cold when the animal snapped its jaw threateningly. It almost caught Julian’s hand. He quickly moved away but he was too late.

Threatening Behavior

The orca was set on threatening Julian and started rocking its massive body from side to side. This caused the fishing boat to rock back and forth too. Julian swam to the surface and heard everyone shouting his name. They were relieved to see that he was still alive, but they were all in immense danger. The rain had started pouring from the sky and the waves were beginning to grow larger and larger. The boat could flip over at any second! They were running out of time and it was terrifying.

Immense Danger

Julian was aware that he wasn’t strong enough to help the orca on his own. He called a few of the fishermen to help him out. The only way to get out of the situation was for all of them to work together to unwrap the fishing lines from the orca. The four men knew what they had to do. They worked together as they removed the fishing lines one by one. The orca felt threatened and decided to blow water at them to scare them away. The sudden waves caused by the whale made it hard for them to see anything. If they made one wrong move, it would all be over for all of them. But that was when the unimaginable happened.

The Unimaginable

Julian had never felt this helpless before. He knew a lot about orcas and he knew that when they were under pressure, they were capable of many dangerous things. Time was running out and the weather was only ever getting worse. He needed to come up with a plan to calm it down. But how on earth would he do that? He looked over at its fin and had an idea. Maybe he could pet it. But would he regret it?

Man With A Plan

Julian did what he could. He started petting the orca’s fin and spoke to it calmly. He had no idea what else he could do. Would anyone know what to do in that situation? He doubted it would even work. But that was when the orca stopped moving. He continued petting its fin while the other men continued removing the fishing lines. But once they had removed all of them, the orca still stayed in place. Something was wrong.

It Stopped Moving

The orca was now free to go, but it wasn’t moving at all for some reason. Julian felt torn. On the one hand, they needed to get back to the shore to escape the storm, but on the other hand, he desperately wanted to help the animal. He had gone such a long way already and didn’t want to give up now. Now that the orca wasn’t preventing the boat from moving, people wanted to go back. So Julian decided to try one more thing. He grabbed a massive stick from the back of the fishing boat and pushed the orca with it. What happened next left him speechless.

Something Was Off

Julian was afraid that something had happened to the orca in the process, and it could no longer move. But, after he gently pushed the animal with the stick, he saw its tail slowly moving, and soon the orca was moving its entire body. Julian felt overwhelmingly happy, but they still had a long way to go. Would they make it back safe?

The Orca Was Free To Go

Julian and the rest of the group made it back just before the thunder hit the area. This brave diver showed that even the most dangerous situations can be resolved with strategic thinking. Julian and the owner of the fishing boat, Anshar Rahman, were later interviewed by the media. “If someone kills a strange animal in the sea, he and his family will live in bad luck. This is our ancestor’s message. Lots of evidence,” said Anshar Rahman. But this was only the beginning for Julian. Soon, the video of him helping the orca went viral.

Safe At Home

Someone on the boat had recorded Julian untangling the fishing lines from the orca, and the video was noticed by Whale Stranding Indonesia. They uploaded it to their Facebook profile, explaining how the brave diver helped the animal. “The fishers chose to rip their fishing net (and thus lost the two tonnes of fish they had caught earlier) to rescue the orca,” the post said. People from all over the world were praising the diver. Julian used this opportunity to share an important message.

The Video Was Uploaded To Facebook

Orcas, also known as killer whales, are the largest members of the oceanic dolphin family. They are majestic creatures that are also super fast. The average speed of an orca can reach up to 56 km/h. While they certainly look intimidating and dangerous, Julian hopes his story will change people’s opinions on them. In fact, they even share some similarities to humans. According to one recent study that used drones to record orcas, it appears they also have “close friendships.” Orcas prefer to interact with others of the same age and sex as them.

Orca Was Following A Diver - Then He Quickly Figured Out Why