A humpback whale sits stuck off the coast of Timmendorfer Strand. The animal is 12 to 15 meters long. It lies on a sand bar since Monday morning. Experts now try to free the whale.
Two large excavators dig a channel in the sand. The channel is 50 meters long. It should show the whale the way to deep water. Workers must be very careful. They drive the excavators very close to the whale's head.
Wind and waves make the work hard. The whale breathes loudly when people come near. Experts say its state is worrying. Its skin has changed from lying in shallow water. But it still seems strong. It lifts its head.
The Baltic Sea is not a normal place for humpback whales. They mostly live in large oceans. If the whale gets free, it must find the way back. It must swim through the North Sea to the Atlantic.
