Farewell Spit - Winter Learning Journey: Huriata

Farewell Spit

Farewell Spit has been in the news recently as a number of whales accidentally swam into the spit and became stuck on the beach. They were unable to swim back to the ocean because the water was too shallow. Many local people tried to save the ‘beached’ whales. Please follow this Farewell Spit link to learn more about what happened. On your blog, describe what the local people did to try and save the beached whales.

It's name was haunting enough, known for many of the whales that have died there. 

The most recent was one a women documented, telling her experience while leading people to help get the whales back in the water. She and her group helped the whales by treating them with needed attention. She made sure that they were treated equally so that everything was at a regular pace. By making sure they stayed cool they covered a whale with a wet towel while diggin beneath it so it has more space to breathe. They did this to each whale - by the next day they were all lucky safe and in the ocean once again. 

Here are some pictures and videos

Vid 1

Vid 2

Three tips to help stranded whales:

Keep them wet! - get a bucket, or something that can hold water.

Cover them! - Wet a towel, shirt, anything that can shelter them from the sun. And change it once it's hot.

Keep the blowholes clear - This is so they can expel air from their blowhole to breathe. 

Warning: Keep away from the tail, to avoid injury.