Divers rescue shark tangled to fishing rod, 'tied to reef' underwater

Two divers rescued a six-foot shark stuck underneath a coral ledge. Divers Randel Sands and Ron Nash were recently cleaning up coral reef debris when they found the nurse shark tangled in a fishing rod tied to the reef of Lauderdale-by-the-sea.

Sands, who goes by the name Florida Diver, was wearing a GoPro video camera that captured the visuals of them cutting the reef and freeing the shark. Sands and Nash were diving about 200 yards offshore near Datura Avenue south of Anglin's Fishing Pier.

"When we found her she was just laying on her belly motionless," Sands said. "She had given up and was probably fatigued and she would have been dead in few hours," reported Local 10.

According to Sands, the rod was dug into the ground and wrapped around the coral weighted with a one pound pyramid weight on the end. The shark had one fishing hook in her mouth and a three pronged hook trailing behind on the line.

They were initially hesitant to approach as they have seen nurse sharks sleeping under coral reef. But when the shark did not move after seeing them, they realised that it was stuck. The shark stayed still while Sands and Nash try to cut away the line.

Lauderdale-by-the-sea is a popular fishing spot in Florida but the area is currently littered with fish lines, hooks, debris that the divers often have to clean up. Sands also said that he has been diving for more than two decades and this encounter made him think about all the other creatures that might have been injured or killed due to these nets.

He said that the shark would have died if they hadn't freed her on time as she wouldn't be able to move or feed. He added that local legislations should create more awareness and educate people about water bodies and sea life.

"If you're a fisherman and you're not a diver, when you look out over the ocean and you're looking down, it's not an endless pit. It actually ends somewhere," said Sands. "That's where I'm at. That's what I'm seeing. I'm at the bottom of the ocean, and I can see the garbage that's on the ocean floor that's been thrown off the boats. If you're a beach-going person, please leave the beach cleaner than when you got there," reported WSVN 7 News.

This article originally appeared in IBTimes US.