Michael Riggio, 17, and his friend Ivan Iskenderian, were fishing in Middle Harbour north of Sydney, Australia when they found themselves in a dramatic encounter.
A massive whale swam up to the young men’s boat in what appeared to be a cry for help.
The poor creature had fishing lines and rubbish bags stuck in its mouth, causing it pain and discomfort.
The men were initially amazed by their close encounter with the whale, but soon realised that their new ocean friend was in dire need of their aid.
Ron Kovacs, who was fishing on a different boat, assisted the boys in their rescue mission.
He told Manly Daily: “He just popped his head up so you could reach out and remove the garbage. He tried on my boat but we are a bit higher
“I made one grab for the bag but missed. He was very inquisitive and more interested in us.
“You could see that big eye coming out watching us. They are not dumb for sure.”
He added: “He has a big scar on his back. He had some fishing line and two plastic bags on his head. I managed to grab at it but missed.
“He later came up to a trailer boat and presented his head as they removed the bag.”
The incident was caught on camera and posted up on YouTube. The teenage boys who carried out the mission also uploaded a clip onto Facebook.