A Giant Archipelago
Indonesia is a country and an enormous archipelago comprised of a whopping 18,307 islands, 6,000 of which are completely uninhabited.
This makes it one of the most fascinating countries globally, and it's definitely on the top of every tourist's bucket list.
Diverse Marine Life
Being surrounded by the Indian Ocean, Indonesia is famous for its rich biodiversity and marine life, being the second most biodiverse nation in the world!
Mola molas, mantas, Loggerhead turtles, and Harlequin ghostfish are unique species that roam through Indonesia's waters.
Top-Notch Beaches
Also, as you may well imagine, Indonesia is full of beautiful, crystal-clear beaches!
That’s why it became a hot spot for tourists who want to experience something different. But do you know what the country is most famous for?
A Unique Diving Spot
Considering that the country boasts stunning beaches and rich marine wildlife, Indonesia is home to some of the world's most fascinating diving spots!
In fact, millions of tourists travel to many of Indonesia's islands just to have a unique diving experience. Such was the case of Julian Dunggio, our story’s hero!
Fishing Crews
So year after year, thousands of adventurous tourists visit some of Indonesia's most remote islands just to dive through its waters, and the beaches are full of fishing crews that take people out to the sea.
This can prove to be quite dangerous because you never know what is hiding beneath the water…
Julian Dunggio
The man we see in this picture is Julian Dunggio, and he is an experienced diver.
Dunggio was passionate about diving ever since he was a teenager, and after finishing school, he decided to make a living out of this.
The Magical Waters Of Gorontalo
Therefore, Dunggio moved to Gorontalo, a mountainous region famous both for its breathtaking hills and its pristine waters.
Year after year, tourists swarm to Saronde Island as well as to the Olele Marine Park, two of Gorontalo's most fascinating diving spots.
His Dream Job
It was not long before Dunggio landed the job he so much longed for. For these past years, his job has been to take tourists out on the water and show them the surrounding corals and wildlife.
He's pretty much used to encountering all sorts of exotic creatures, but one day, he saw the unthinkable.
Diving Tours
It's a widely known fact that whales sometimes swim very close to the shores of Gorontalo's islands, and they sometimes even show up in some of the region's most populated beaches.
Going on a diving tour on some of these beaches is a great way to watch wild creatures in their natural habitat. But you never know what’s hiding underneath the waves…
He Tried Something Different
But on this day, Dunggio decided to do something different. Instead of getting into the water for one of his everyday diving tours, he accompanied a group on a fishing expedition. Local fishers use huge nets to catch all sorts of fish that they then sell at the market.
So Dunggio was simply accompanying the voyage with some tourists when some of the people on the boat spotted something rather curious, to say the least...
Fun Boat Ride
Julian was ready to show the tourists the wild sea, but he had no idea that they’d get so close to the creatures!
As Julian and the tourists were enjoying their fun boat ride, he spotted something moving underwater. What could it be? He was not prepared for this!
Experienced Diver
The weird thing about this is that the animal that was moving underwater appeared to stay in one place. Julian is an experienced diver who isn’t afraid of going under the ocean’s waves.
As you can imagine, he was inquisitive about the animal that attracted everyone’s attention…
Curiosity
Curiosity got the best of Julian, and he decided to check out what type of animal was causing so much commotion.
Without giving it any second thought, the diver jumped into the water in hopes of finding out what’s going on with that animal. The tourists were stunned!
The Experience of a Lifetime!
What was under the boat? Before jumping in, the tourists advised Julian not to go into the water because they could see a huge fin popping out. Was it a shark?
Little did Julian know, he was in for the experience of a lifetime!
Huge Fin
The tourists held their breaths as they watched Julian jump. They were afraid that it might be a shark that had gotten tangled in some fisherman’s line and that it would attack Julian.
However, Julian didn’t listen to what they had to say and did THIS…
Help!
In an interview with the media, Julian explained that no matter how dangerous that animal he would cross paths with was, he would still help it out.
Thankfully, the animal was not a killer shark. However, it was a huge orca that could have killed him with a flip of a tail!
Ferocious Predators
Orcas are widely regarded as the most dangerous marine mammal. They can weigh up to 6 tons, grow up to 23 feet long, and they are one of the oceans' most ferocious predators.
Even though they're not as threatening to humans as sharks, you should still steer clear of them! However, Dunggio realized that something was wrong with the creature, so he stepped in.
The Orca Was Stuck
The poor creature appeared to be stuck, and that is why it stayed in one place. Julian saw fishing lines wrapped around it and called one of his fisherman friends to help him out.
Here’s how the orca got stuck. You will not believe what happened next!
Tangled Orca
As risky as this mission was, Julian knew that he needed to untangle the orca if he wanted the poor animal to survive. The orca was close to the boat, but they had to get closer to help her.
She got scared and tried to scare her rescuers… The tourists had never seen anything like this!
Dangerous Situation
The orca got scared when it saw the boat come closer, and it started blowing water as if to scare Julian away. Luckily, Julian did not bow out, and he decided to start untangling the fishing line that held the orca in place.
He had no idea how the creature would react during that time…
Calming The Orca
Julian noticed that the orca was getting scared, and he wanted to calm it down. We all know how to calm a dog or a cat, but an orca? What do you do to make her feel safe? Julian had to try something, so he decided to head over to its fin and start petting it…
But did it work?
The Orca Stopped Moving!
As risky as this move was, it worked! The orca stopped moving around and allowed Julian and his friends to help it out.
As he cut through the fishing lines, Julian realized that he had to do something far more dangerous. The tourists were left awestruck!
Julian Goes Underwater
At one moment, Julian disappeared underwater, and everyone got scared. The tourist who was filming this incredible moment thought that the orca hit Julian.
Fortunately, though, that was not the case! What was Julian doing underwater?
Untangling The Fishing Line
Julian took a big breath of air and dipped under the orca to start cutting the fishing line. This shows us just how brave the hero of our story is because we can be sure that not everyone would have had the courage to do that.
What the orca did after she was set free is unbelievable!
Whale Stranding Indonesia
Whale Stranding Indonesia posted this video on their Facebook page explaining that this orca was entangled.
> "The fishers chose to rip their fishing net (and thus lost the two tonnes of fish they had caught earlier) to rescue the orca," the post read.
It Didn't Stop There
So thanks to Julian's gut and courage, the magnificent creature was free once again!
But instants later, the diver noticed something strange. It turns out that there were further problems yet to be solved!
Helping Stick
The orca was freed from the fishing wire but still did not move! That is when Julian pulled out a huge stick to push it away from the boat. The orca had no idea that it was finally free and did not even try to move away.
Do you think the trick with the stick worked?
Slowly Moving Away
It seems like the orca understood that it was free, and it slowly started moving its tail. The orca was getting away from the boat, and everyone on the boat started clapping.
This was an amazing moment, and everyone was happy to see that Julian had fulfilled his goal to perfection!
An Amazing Moment
I am sure that the tourists who got on the boat with Julian were never expecting this ever to happen.
Although I bet, they felt they received their money’s full worth for taking this amazing boat ride.
Finally Free
Freeing the tangled orca was no easy task, but it was all worth it in the end!
Julian showed the entire world that he is brave and that his love for wild animals is great.
Swimming Away
As soon as it realized that it had been freed, the orca didn’t waste any more time, and it started swimming away.
Julian didn’t need any thanks or show of gratitude because he knew in his heart that the orca would live because of his actions.
Orcas' True Nature
The news went viral, and people all over the world were baffled by what Dunggio had done. However, the hero of our story doesn't regret having acted that way, despite the danger he exposed himself to.
On the contrary, he believes that this story will help shed light on the fact that orcas, also known as "killer whales," are not so aggressive as people generally think.
Sociable Creatures
As a matter of fact, some studies have shown that orcas are more similar to humans than what we think, so they're not so "killer" after all!
They have the second-largest brain as far as marine mammals are concerned, and they are sensitive and emotional creatures. Who would've thought?
They Bring Good Luck
And you know what? Apart from being sociable creatures, locals believe that orcas bring good luck and that efforts should always save their lives.
This helps explain why Dunggio was so keen on saving the creature's life!
Worthy Of Respect
When interviewed by the media, both Dunggio and the fishermen confessed that orcas are very respected creatures in their culture.
> “If someone kills a strange animal in the sea, he and his family will live in bad luck, this is our ancestor’s message. Lots of evidence,” said the owner of the fishing boat, Anshar Rahman.
An Incredible Story
If there's something that we learned from this story is that Julian is surely an experienced diver and everyone who gets on a boat ride with him needs to get ready for an adventure.
Nonetheless, what did you think of this incredible story?