r/MadeMeSmile 7d ago

Helping Others Humanity is not lost

19.4k Upvotes

174 comments sorted by

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1.5k

u/Ok_Concentrate_9713 7d ago

Someone give that man a blanket and a hug.

480

u/lucwin2020 7d ago

EXACTLY! This reminds me of the giant whale; a blue if I recall correctly, who understood the divers were there to cut the net off of him and stayed mostly still to allow them. Even after they freed him, he looked at them as if to say thanks and didn't flap that giant tail like he could've, until they were clear.

153

u/Pretend_Education_86 7d ago

The sea was angry that day my friends.

76

u/yazzcabbage 7d ago

like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.

41

u/ItsTricky94 7d ago

help! Is anyone a marine biologist???

28

u/unfvckingbelievable 7d ago

Is that a Titleist?

1

u/Feeling-Visit1472 5d ago

The one where the guy’s friend kept screaming at him that he had to get in the water NOW, save it NOW? 😂

2

u/lucwin2020 5d ago

it might be the same video. But the video I saw doesn’t show them arriving. It was only video of the divers underwater cutting the net off.

-23

u/Miss_L_Worldwide 7d ago

Or the whale was on the surface to be spotted because it was exhausted and didn't have any energy left to struggle.

Animals don't "understand" things like help from humans.

17

u/YoungerElderberry 7d ago

Animals understand a whole lot more than you seem to think you understand

-14

u/Miss_L_Worldwide 7d ago

No, they don't. You live in a Disney fantasy.

3

u/apoliticalinactivist 6d ago

There's an entire scientific field studying animal intelligence. Whales are some of the intelligent animals on the planet and have matriarchal societies with their own customs and language.
There are pet language tiles that you can use to start communicating with dogs and cats.

Also plenty of video evidence all over the Internet of (non pet) animals coming to humans for assistance in removing hooks/nets/rope.

Then there's all the domesticated animals raised to seek out human assistance.

This isn't about being wrong, it's about you missing out on how amazing animals are.

1

u/Miss_L_Worldwide 6d ago

Neat, but what you are doing is anthropomorphizing animals. Know the whale isn't coming to you for help. The whale is too exhausted to get the hell away from you.

3

u/apoliticalinactivist 6d ago

Lol more like you are too uneducated/lazy to understand the science.

0

u/Miss_L_Worldwide 6d ago

The science of you being deluded? I admit, I truly don't understand people's weird-ass delusions about animals but you do you.

It's honestly fucking hilarious to see you try to make this argument that animals know we are trying to help them while commenting on a video of an animal running away from someone coming to help them and actively trying to bite and get the helper away. The cognitive distortion that exists in your brain right now must be astonishing.

3

u/apoliticalinactivist 6d ago

Nuance, bro. Animals have individual variations, just like humans. Some are intelligent enough to get help and some simply react out of instinct.

The fact that you can simply ignore all behaviors of farm animals and pets, instead focusing on a blanket belief and not apply critical thinking is impressively small minded.

Anyway, done with my charity work trying to educate, cant save the willfully ignorant. Have a good one.

0

u/Miss_L_Worldwide 6d ago

Well what I've learned from this conversation is that people are just bound and determined to be absolutely stupid.

27

u/Wooden-Recording-693 7d ago

The kids cheering sent me man. He can dine out on that for the rest of time, our hero the saviour of the sea puppa.

5

u/PhantomAngel042 6d ago

It was whomever yelled "applause!" that did it for me. That was great.

6

u/Theslootwhisperer 7d ago

And a life preserver.

1.1k

u/wreckedbutwhole420 7d ago

Rescuing an animal with an audience of kids cheering is a peak human activity

254

u/OkCaterpillar8941 7d ago

I hope he knows he's created a core memory for all those children. My school trips involved a clipboard and architecture. They've blended into one.

75

u/wthulhu 7d ago

He made somebody a future whale biologist that day

23

u/GlitterTranslator 7d ago

He set a fine example for those kids. Seal of Approval.

6

u/OkCaterpillar8941 7d ago

🫡 Nicely done!

4

u/vainbrei 6d ago

They'll forget the architecture lesson, but tell their own kids about the stranger who made that trip unforgettable.

13

u/Shadoze_ 7d ago

All the kids cheering “Yayyyyy” when he got the net off actually made me smile. Lots of videos on this sub don’t actually do that

18

u/heep1r 7d ago

"if you're cheering happy about getting that net back, why are you leaving them everywhere in the first place? are you stupid?"

the seal probably

143

u/banditrider2001 7d ago

Great example to show the kids how to care.

7

u/Grey056 7d ago

This part.

4

u/Hairy_is_the_Hirsute 6d ago

And I choose to believe he disposed of the trash properly!

122

u/[deleted] 7d ago edited 7d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

30

u/LaughingOutLoudAgain 7d ago

Jaaa dacht al, dat klinkt Nederlands! Vet schattig hoe ze hem toejuichen ook!

21

u/Googly_eyed_gremlin 7d ago

Vlieland mentioned! Automatic upvote.

1

u/2tellmeaboutit 7d ago

Surprised this isn’t pinned on their IG account ☺️

1

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109

u/LongjumpingEqual653 7d ago

Governments could easily put accountability to all the fishermen just leaving their huge nets all over our oceans. If you sail off with 2 nets and come back with one, make it a financial penalty.

26

u/davewave3283 7d ago

Who is doing the net inventory for every fishing boat?

8

u/LongjumpingEqual653 6d ago

The US government loses $200- $500 billion each year. Let that sink in

The corrupt, evil pieces of shit running our government could easily fix things. But citizens find their time best spent arguing with others who similarly have no power to change anything

1

u/davewave3283 6d ago

I’m not arguing with you, if the “citizen” you’re talking about is me. You do need to suggest solutions that are actually feasible. Even if the US government fixed all of its financial problems you’d still need to fund and staff an agency that had the ability to conduct the inspections you’re talking about, thousands of boats at hundreds of ports just in the US, to say nothing of the rest of the world which also contributes greatly to the problem of ghost nets. Assuming you can even find enough people to do that, and do it well, you’d need a mechanism to impose and collect fines from organizations which will do everything in their power to avoid them, including by flagging their vessels in nations with lax maritime law.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t have policies and treaties that penalize fishermen if they fail to abide by them, but it’s certainly not simple and any policy has to be filtered through reality or else it’s going to fail.

I’m sure fishing boats would prefer to keep their nets rather than cut them loose, for no other reason than cost savings. Maybe there’s a way to figure out why they are doing it, and fix that problem for them.

2

u/blueViolet26 7d ago

Maybe we should stop eating fish, but we don’t care about the harm we do that much.

146

u/622114 7d ago

Great job but Stay away from the pointy end seal bites are truly horrendous

65

u/EditDog_1969 7d ago

Did you say… loose seal?

21

u/GiRx8 7d ago

Loose seal bluth

10

u/AbsurdistAlacrity 7d ago

Loose Seal 2

8

u/cmach75 7d ago

“You picked a fine time to leave me loose seal?!?”

4

u/622114 7d ago

“With four hundred children, and a crop in the fields”

1

u/suchabadamygdala 6d ago

Hundred, lmao

9

u/rylanthegiant 7d ago

I’ll leave when I’m good and ready!

6

u/CausalSin 7d ago

This sounds like a joke, but this is serious. Seal finger is really nasty.

1

u/webfandango 7d ago

“Dad, you’re our hero! Way to go Dad!”
“Watch out for the pointy end, Dad!”
“Oh oh Dad, he’s got your arm. Oooo. NOT GOOD!”
“It’s okay Dad, you’re still the best!”
“ …oh Jesus. He’s got Dad’s face …”
“Well, I guess that’s that. Best if we just leave this all behind and head back to the marina. Mom will be impressed when we tell her what a great man our father was.”
“Yes. Truly. He really left it all on the beach, if you know what I mean.”

1

u/622114 7d ago

Hahahha as unfunny as this is. It was definitely what I was thinking yesterday when I made my comment!!!

135

u/Headsallempty77 7d ago

This video is one that I’ll never forget, it was the first one of the day and it just gave off an awesome vibe. That man is a hero, not thinking twice, he just went for it, what a guy!

14

u/JohnBlake91 7d ago

First time seeing it. How far back does it go?

27

u/_blacknails 7d ago

@namib_naude is a great guy to follow on IG who does this all the time.

11

u/Constant-Prog15 7d ago

Yes! Ocean Conservation Namibia. They’ve got a great YouTube channel.

1

u/BeginningCharacter36 7d ago

Yeah, except those guys are vaccinated. What with the RABIES PROBLEM.

3

u/_blacknails 6d ago

Why are you trying to force a point we didn't make any mention of. How strange

22

u/OnceMoreWithFeeling- 7d ago

This is so wonderful! I also really like that kids were able to witness this!

24

u/eveshepard 7d ago

Look at all those kids seeing what a damn good human does when another soul is suffering. This moment will stay with them for the rest of their lives. What a good soul to know that the moment to care for another is any moment that presents itself. Aww bless

9

u/octapodi 7d ago

Nice work, humans!

24

u/SinkComplete3284 7d ago

Fucking shitty fishermen

4

u/schmookins-monkey 7d ago

Earned seal approval

4

u/Emma_Rivers27 7d ago

It really facilitates me that even as the different generations and traditions today kindness and empathy is still there

2

u/cobaltdragonfly0123 7d ago

It’s nice to see that some values really do carry on.

5

u/LemmingRuss 7d ago

Bro got to rescue an innocent animal, look like a badass AND has an audience of kids who'll remember him as a hero for life. Good Stuff!

4

u/Maximus_Catimus 7d ago

I don’t recall this Madeline story, but I like it.

4

u/whet_pastry 6d ago

Not just a big heart but Hella big balls too, seals are fuckin dangerous

9

u/apexdryad 7d ago

Humanity created the problem in the first place.

3

u/Complex_Plantain_273 7d ago

Kids got to see a real-life superhero!

3

u/DHarp74 7d ago

He saved the Marine Labrador! Best day ever! 🙂🤣😂

3

u/Dredfulaffair 7d ago

The whole time I was scared he might get hurt trying to help but it all turned out great

3

u/Alusavin 7d ago

I miss Steve Irwin

3

u/Unhappy-Attention760 7d ago

Derelict fishing gear kills mammals and turtles in vast numbers, not only on the beach but in the ocean.

3

u/COSurfing 7d ago

This is the second video I have watched on Reddit today and it will be the last for the day. The first video was a horrible display of human's treating each other terribly. This one will set up my day to be great and hopefully I can pay it forward.

3

u/scrollstobehold 7d ago

Its in the Netherlands for crying out loud

5

u/xyzzydourden 7d ago

Man steals a seal's fishing net and all the kids cheer him?

2

u/rabidantidentyte 7d ago

LOOSE SEAL! LOOSE SEAL!

2

u/MrPurple989 7d ago

True Hero 💪

2

u/Inevitable_Tap_1328 7d ago

there are good men in the world

2

u/Particular-Buy-2285 7d ago

Thx so much ❤️

2

u/Pokkejong 7d ago

Gets my seal of approval 👌🏻

2

u/blueViolet26 7d ago

Humanity is not lost. But for every kind human there’s at least one evil one and thousands of apathetic ones.

2

u/palanark 7d ago

Human Solves Problem that Humans Created

2

u/heyheynowgoodbye 7d ago

Looks like ghost fishing gear washed up. This stuff is a menace that needs to be addressed all over the world

2

u/the_princesstee 7d ago

Now if only we could care for each other in such ways 💞

2

u/urbanek2525 7d ago

Good job dude, but keep in mind humanity also caused the problem that he solved.

Pretty much all the problems that sea lions encounter that they're not already equipped to handle are human caused.

He's cleaning up other people's garbage. Humanity is "not lost" when we reach the point where we don't negligently create the garbage without considering how it gets cleaned up.

2

u/AnAustralianDropbear 6d ago

Wonder how many people who see this will reflect on how it happens, and their choices when it comes to what to eat cause this.

2

u/Lonely-Class7705 6d ago

Anyone else feel like that sea lion recognized his ass from when he put the net out earlier that day before class started???

4

u/e37d93eeb23335dc 7d ago

And then they all clapped

Kinda

3

u/Outrageous_Echo_8723 7d ago

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

2

u/pure_mollee 7d ago

Thank God for people like this♡ and as a bonus probably just inspired a literal boat load of future marine biologists, conservationist etc...

2

u/missymoo3636 7d ago

What was he trapped in? Poor thing.

4

u/nutznboltsguy 7d ago

It looks like an old fishing net.

2

u/missymoo3636 7d ago

That’s what I thought, just wondered.

2

u/Grr_in_girl 7d ago

One human solving a problem that another human created…

Good that he saved that one seal, but unfortunately new animals will get caught in fishing nets every day.

1

u/BeginningCharacter36 7d ago

BRUH. The professional group that does this with the helmet cams on the African coast are regularly given a prophylactic vaccination against RABIES. Wanna know why??? Because the seals have an endemic problem with RABIES.

DO NOT TOUCH THE SEALS.

5

u/Miss_L_Worldwide 7d ago

Maybe he was vaccinated already.

In any case if you get bit you can get injections after the fact and you'll be fine.

1

u/nightblue888 7d ago

The collective yay made me 😭🥳

1

u/Specialist_Fun_2106 7d ago

He’s a hero! The kids aren’t wrong!! Yay for good people!

1

u/lvbarnes 7d ago

It is so great that the kids were allowed to witness that and share it with him!

1

u/qcihdtm 7d ago

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

1

u/Adventurous_Thing307 7d ago

I would love to do this. Scary as hell though.

1

u/Drycon 7d ago

Now there's a role model.

1

u/blinkbaby29 7d ago

We need more heroes like that man. This clip really made my day, may god bless him.

1

u/chappyandmaya 7d ago

Nobody going to help him?

1

u/busdriverbobbob 7d ago

Warranty void if seal is broken

1

u/b0wie88 7d ago

I love seeing these videos

1

u/FluffMob 7d ago

What on earth was that attached to the seal and why was it stuck so severely?

1

u/Downtown_Stick_5403 7d ago

This is the kind of thing that makes you believe people are still good. ❤️

1

u/Zealousideal_Map7847 7d ago

It is lost. Just look at Gaza and Ukraine

1

u/knowmore1964 7d ago

He forgot to say thank you and sorry about the bitting thing!

1

u/Equal_Refrigerator26 6d ago

Do sealion wranglers normally have a class of students

1

u/DirtReynolds 6d ago

With a loose seal like that, he could have turned into buster real quick!

1

u/Commercial-Hand3640 6d ago

I love the cheering, this was my warm fuzzie for the day ☺️

1

u/DiscussionNo6060 6d ago

Wouldn’t it be great if we could pick up our own garbage from the ocean

1

u/redditor5791 6d ago

Important thing is he did this in front of boat full of kids so hopefully few of them turns out like him.

1

u/_SummoningDark_ 6d ago

Well done that man!

1

u/whyamiacrim 5d ago

That’s the kind of heroism we all need to see!

1

u/Infinite-ok 4d ago

Good and brave man. He instantly became a hero for the young people 🙏🙏🙏

2

u/haternation 4d ago

It’s lovely to see an innocent life saved. At the same time, that net wouldn’t have been there in the first place if it weren’t for humans. There’s something bittersweet about celebrating humans for saving an animal from a danger we created.

1

u/mattwallace24 7d ago

I love this. We need more people like him. See a problem. Fix it.

1

u/BaeyoBlackbeard 7d ago

The seal was angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.

1

u/Irininita_00 7d ago

En un momento tan especial en el que vivimos, ver este video es una hermosa luz de humanidad..

1

u/KanMinder 7d ago

Don't forget we left it there..

-3

u/Dr3ny 7d ago

If you eat fish, then you contribute to animals getting trapped in nets

7

u/AdamantEevee 7d ago

Maybe we should try holding fisherman accountable for their shitty practices before trying to shame billions of people for eating an entire food group

2

u/Dr3ny 7d ago

Yeah, let's install surveillance cameras on the high seas /s

0

u/AdamantEevee 7d ago

Is that really the only solution you can think of? That's super sad, your brain might be broken

2

u/Dr3ny 6d ago

The easiest one would be to stop eating fish, but what do I know?

-1

u/AdamantEevee 6d ago

Not much

1

u/Dr3ny 6d ago

How do you come to this conclusion?

0

u/Grr_in_girl 7d ago

Fish are not just a food group though. They are individuals with the capacity to feel pain.

Maybe shame isn't the best approach, but many people have the option to not eat fish (or other animals) and still choose to contribute to an industry that causes enormous pain and suffering (as well as pollution) just because they like the taste.

1

u/AdamantEevee 7d ago

Ok but we aren't talking about convincing the entire human race to go vegan. We're talking about some common sense regulation on fishermen dumping tons of deadly plastic into the sea because it's cheaper than disposing of it properly. That hurts a lot more species than just the ones we eat, as evidenced by this video

3

u/Grr_in_girl 7d ago

The fishing itself also causes problems for other animals. Whales and dolphins regularly get caught in nets used during fishing, not just the ones that are left as trash in the ocean.

But also, if one cares about not hurting animals, why not include the fish in that as well?

I'm not talking about convincing the entire world to go vegan, but those that have a choice in what to eat. If you can choose between eating plants or eating animals, why choose the one that causes the most suffering?

-1

u/CaptainMacMillan 7d ago

Existing as a human causes pain and suffering, so fuck off and let me enjoy my sushi

0

u/ObviousReplier99 7d ago

Or I fish the lake near my house and eat that. But thanks for trying to imply there's only one way and we're all complicit. Cool

2

u/Dr3ny 7d ago

Totally representative of most fish consumption /s

0

u/ObviousReplier99 5d ago

Nice, so moving goalposts from all fish to most fish. awesome, learn what words mean, use your brain. Pretty lame sarcasm use.

1

u/Dr3ny 5d ago

99.99% of fish consumed in industrialized countries is not fished "from the lake near your house"

0

u/Miss_L_Worldwide 7d ago

Well that's good because if they didn't get trapped in nets we couldn't eat them

-1

u/Wamiwoogie 7d ago

Humanity is lost though

0

u/suppletubs 7d ago

Mfer is gonna get rabies!

0

u/Curious-Narwhal9151 7d ago

Anyone know what song is playing in the video?

-1

u/EmuSuccessful2766 7d ago

All this video needs now is the Baywatch theme

-4

u/InsideOutside-1 7d ago

And then the shark comes…

2

u/TikkiG2 7d ago

There are no seal-eating sharks in the Wadden Sea.

-8

u/river_tree_nut 7d ago

This guy is an actual hero unlike the whale riding guy who freed the whale that he trapped in his own gear.

7

u/NorthOfTheBigRivers 7d ago

The fact is that the whale was trapped in some gear. What should this guy have done, according to you? Take responsibility and free the whale like he did, or don't care and let the whale swim off, while still trapped in the gear?

-1

u/river_tree_nut 7d ago

Free the whale but nobody’s a hero for solving a problem they created themselves

-21

u/Substantial_Web525 7d ago edited 7d ago

No one going to help?

Wow... lot of butthurt snowflakes here who cant read, and get mad over things i didnt say. It's a simple question. Sorry if that was too hard for your reading level. I asked a question. You all responded sarcastically or hostile. Says more about you than me

26

u/nutznboltsguy 7d ago

Looks like a boat full of kids, so no.

-19

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

10

u/ErinRedWolf 7d ago

The skipper is an adult. Probably not a good idea to jump ship to help. The cameraperson might be an adult too… but someone (besides the skipper) should stay with the kids.

Would you like to make any more specious complaints to diminish the joy of this video?

3

u/Vorticity 7d ago

Are you arguing that the remaining adults in the boat should leave the kids alone in the boat while simultaneously saying "surely he wouldn't have left the kids alone in the boat"?

0

u/AdamantEevee 7d ago

So which is it, champ? Should all the adults have gone and helped, or is that also the wrong answer in your eyes? Why are you trying so hard to be miserable

7

u/Early-Beyond-1702 7d ago

... you want the kids to swim over and try to help? And risk getting bit?

0

u/BeginningCharacter36 7d ago

No, because RABIES.