A fearless dad jumped into the water to rescue a trapped sea turtle during a family boat trip - untangling it from a rope so it could swim away. In the dramatic footage, Blake Fish, 39, is swimming in water off the coast of Tampa Bay, Florida, where the family spotted a struggling loggerhead sea turtle with a rope around it. On closer inspection, he realized the rope was attached to a crab trap - and so the determined dad swam back to the boat and lifted the trap inside the vessel. As he and his family pulled the rope in, the thrashing turtle eventually reached the side of the boat. Then, navigating the animal's swift movements, an exhausted Blake untangled the turtle and set it free. Blake’s wife, Lindsey, 38, said as the current was very strong and since her husband only had a small flotation device, she and son Parker, 11, kept the boat close to Blake at all times. Before the rescue, which happened on July 17, the family initially contacted the Florida Wildlife Commission, as they knew that sea turtles are on the endangered species list. But the FWC said they couldn’t get a marine biologist out to where they were, and that there were no officers in the area, so Blake decided to take matters into his own hands as he was certain the struggling turtle would either drown or be hit in the busy shipping lane. After the family knew the turtle was free, they sent their footage and photos to the FWC to log a report.
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