No, this is an old photo of a gray whale taken from a tour operator’s website

The most recent post on Facebook featuring both the picture and the claim appeared here on  January 21, 2020, where it was shared more than 330 times. 

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A screenshot taken on January 27, 2020, from a Facebook post showing an image of a grey whale interacting with people

But the same claim has been around on Facebook here, here and here since at least 2013, with one post here having been shared more than 36,000 times.

The claim describes how a female humpback whale (the picture is actually of a gray whale) was saved by a rescue team that spent hours underwater cutting her free from crabbing lines in a risky operation.

She is then said to have swum joyously in circles before “thanking” each rescuer with a gentle nudge. 

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A screenshot taken on January 27, 2020, from a Facebook post describing a fictional meeting between a humpback whale and a group of human rescuers

The incident is purported to have taken place near the Farallon Islands, a wild and eco-rich area west of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge where whales return seasonally to feed.

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A screenshot taken on January 27, 2020, from Google Maps showing the location of the Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco

Their migration to the Farallon Islands sustains tour boat operators like this one, from May to November.

A Google reverse image search finds links here, here and here where the picture appears without the accompanying claim, while various references are made to Baja California in Mexico, another hotspot for migrating whales.

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A screenshot taken on January 29, 2020, from a tourism website showing a map of Baja California

Among the links is this website here, which in December 2013 offered a “Baja Whale Petting” trip on auction. The page featured four photographs, including the image used in the “rescued” whale claim and a second one (see below) showing a boat from Pachico’s Eco Tours.

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A screenshot taken on February 4, 2020, from an online auction website which offered a whale-petting trip to Baja

Pachico’s Eco Tours sells trips on the San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja, offering people the chance to enjoy close contact with migrating gray whales. The picture used in the claim can be found on the company’s website here.

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A screenshot taken on January 29, 2020, from the website of Pachico's Ecotours

The company told AFP: “The picture was taken at San Ignacio Lagoon about seven years ago by Jesus Mayoral, captain and guide at Pachico's Ecotours. The picture belongs to Jesus and Pachico's Ecotours.”

Jesus Mayoral is the son of company founder Pachico Mayoral, the “whale whisperer” who died in 2013 after a lifetime in whale conservation.

While the claim shared in Facebook posts is false, there have been dramatic rescues of entangled whales, some captured on video here and here.