Video: Seal rescued from net during school field trip

Dirk Bruin of the Noordwester information center became a hero in the eyes of a primary school class when he jumped off a boat, into the ocean and rescued a seal trapped in a large fishing net during a field trip. The teacher of the class caught the heroic act on video. Bruin provides seal trips from Vlieland. He was in the middle of his third trip when he noticed the seal in distress. "We were on our way back and I saw a seal dragging a net of about three meters behind it", Bruin said to broadcaster NOS. The normal procedure is to call someone in to help the seal. "But I thought, let's see what I can do. We should have a knife to cut the net loose. One of the children had a pocket knife with him." The video sows Bruin running through the water to the Engelshoek sand bank, where the seal is surrounded by others. In less than 25 seconds he freed the animal, with the children cheering on the boat. He believes the seal was only trapped for a short time, because it sustained no cuts. https://youtu.be/bV7b2eERolc