A HUMPBACK whale has returned to sea after being stranded across from the Solway Coast for numerous hours. 

On Tuesday, October 15, British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) was alerted to the live stranded whale off the coast of Southerness in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. 

Members of the public reported they could hear the thuds of the whale thrashing its tail flukes, desperately trying to manoeuvre itself off the sand as the water around it dropped. 

The whale was stranded off the coast of Southerness The whale was stranded off the coast of Southerness  (Image: Alistair Bertram)

Photos from a local couple revealed the whale, thrashing its tail and gulping as if filter-feeding. As the tide continued to drop, the whale, estimated to be 9m long,  became stuck deeper in the sand, showing signs of distress but eventually managed to calm down with its breathing relaxing. 

By nightfall, rescuers stood down, unable to locate the whale due to fading light. A follow-up inspection at first light on October 16 confirmed the whale had disappeared, leading the team to believe it successfully refloated due to the rapidly incoming tide.

A spokesperson from  British Divers Marine Life Rescue said: "Large baleen whales are notoriously difficult to respond to due to their sheer size and weight making them impossible to move safely, so all we could do was ensure the whale was as comfortable as possible with first aid provision.

Humpback whale estimated to be 9 metres in lengthHumpback whale estimated to be 9 metres in length (Image: Alistair Bertram)

"Fortunately the whale had stranded only a couple of hours before low tide, so did not have to wait long for the returning tide to wash over the area to refloat it when the water was deep enough. 

"Thankfully, there was no sign of the whale along the coast or for about a mile offshore, however, this doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t see it again. Medics will be monitoring the coastline over the coming days to check if it has restranded.

"We’d like to extend a huge thanks to the HM Coastguard for their support and of course to our dedicated Marine Mammal Medics for responding to this incident. We hope the humpback recovers fully and was merely caught out by the huge tides in this region," they said.