Moving moment desperate whale approached boat full of fishermen for help after getting plastic bag caught in its mouth

• A whale surprised a group of fishermen north of Sydney
• The whale appeared to be asking for help as it swam closely to their boats
• One of the men removed fishing lines and rubbish bags out of its mouth
• Another fisherman took selfies at the same time 
• The whale apparently showed its appreciation by flapping its fin 

By Martha Azzi For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 20:45 EST, 12 August 2015 | Updated: 11:48 EST, 13 August 2015

A group of young fishermen have captured an incredible selfie with a whale after it swam up and seemed to ask them for help removing plastic bags caught in its mouth.

The friendly whale nudged their boat as it made a surprise appearance in Middle Harbour, north of Sydney.

The men soon noticed the whale, which circled the boat and swam underneath it, was asking for help and pulled out rubbish bags and fishing lines stuck in its mouth.   

Michael Riggio,17, took selfie snaps while his friend, Ivan Iskenderian, stretched over the boat to help the whale.

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Michael Riggio, 17, (left) took selfies with the whale while his friend Ivan Iskenderian helped the creature

Speaking to Manly Daily, Mr Riggio and Mr Iskenderian said the whole scenario was unbelievable.

'It was surreal, we couldn’t believe our eyes,' said Ivan.

Laughing while attempting to help the whale and record what was happening, the fishermen were excited about being up close to the creature.

Ron Kovacs was fishing in another boat opposite the young fisherman when the whale made his first appearance. 

Bopping it's head out of the water, Mr Kovacs noticed the whale needed some help. 

Whale breaches next to boat allowing fisherman to remove plastic

Ivan Iskenderian was stunned when he saw the whale. He managed to snap a selfie before helping it

The whale swam around boats of fisherman in Middle Harbour, north of Sydney, apparently asking for help 

Michael Riggio was taking selfies while his friend Ivan Iskenderian removed objects from the whale's mouth

Ivan Iskenderian (pictured stretching over the boat) pulls fishing lines and rubbish bags from its mouth

'He just popped his head up so you could reach out and remove the garbage. He tried on my boat but we are a bit higher,' Mr Kovacs said

'I made one grab for the bag but missed. He was very enquisitive and more interested in us. 

'You could see that big eye coming out watching us. They are not dumb for sure.'

The large mammal swam from one boat to another until the garbage caught in its mouth was removed

As the whale made its way over to the other boat, Mr Kovac captured the event on his camera. 

'He has a big scar on his back. He had some fishing line and two plastic bags on his head. I managed to grab at it but missed. 

'He later came up to a trailer boat and presented his head as they removed the bag,' Mr Kovac wrote.

After the rubbish is removed from the whale's mouth, the creature is seen swimming away while flapping its fin - apparently showing its appreciation.

The whale appeared to flap its fin in appreciation after the fishermen successfully managed to help it

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