FREE WILLY À LA JAMAICA

ROSE HALL, MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA - February 19, 2010: The Palmyra Resort & Spa, celebrated a successful whale rescue on Saturday, when a huge Cuvier Beaked whale decided to swim into the white sand swimming cove of Jamaicas fashionable luxury beachfront community, surprising owners, guests and staff.

The 15 feet long and 1,200 pound mammal, which was spotted swimming in the shallow waters in close proximity to the resort's beach around noon on Saturday, appeared to have followed a school of fish into the private swimming cove. The mammal stayed in the shallow waters for almost half-an-hour giving dozens of visitors the chance to have a close look at the magnificent creature, which quickly earned the nickname The Palmyra Whale.

Said General Manager Lester Scott: "It swam around and around and nearly beached itself a couple of times, and we tried to usher it back out to the ocean. Scott immediately called two mammal specialists from a nearby resort to come and help the whale back into deep water.

Appearing disoriented, the huge mammal experienced difficulty when attempting to pass the outside underwater groyne, which protects the swimming cove of the premier retreat. Due to a combination of low tide and oncoming waves, the Cuvier Beaked whale struggled on the barrier for approximately 20 minutes before marine mammal specialist Deloy Peharie and a landscape architect Kevin Rosen jumped into the water to help the whale. After several attempts, the mammal was successfully guided into the deep waters.

Said Tony King from New York, who filmed the extraordinary visit; It is the first time I have seen a whale. It was incredible to see it so close.

Broadcast on CVM national TV channel in Jamaica, the TV feature was created by Kingsley Thompson from Montego Bay.

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Travel & Events

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• palmyra whale
• whale
• palmyra
• jamaica
• luxury
• resort
• caribbean