This is the massive moment a humpback whale with its tail tangled up in a fishing net is released by a team of divers who cut it free.

The gentle giant had been spotted struggling to swim in the Pacific Ocean off the north-western coast of Colombia on 3rd August.

The Colombian Navy and marine wildlife experts approached the whale as it repeatedly tried to dive but could not because of the fishing gear.

After a 24-hour operation, a team of divers managed to free it after approaching it with cutting equipment.

They were able to cut away the netting leaving just a small piece that had become embedded in the whale’s tail.

Humpbacks can grow up to nearly 60 feet long and weigh more than 40 tonnes.

Wilmer Roa, captain and commander of the team of Pacific Coastguards, said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “Most of the net was removed, but when the whale felt that it was able to move again, it dived down and we never saw it again.”

He condemned fishermen who simply dump damaged nets in the water putting all marine life at risk.

Every year, between July and October, the Colombian Pacific is a hotspot for whale watchers.

Large numbers of humpback whales appear in the area for their breeding season after swimming 8,500 kilometres (5,300 miles) from the Antarctic and southern Chile.

The whales are expected to leave the region in mid-October.