This is the heartwarming moment a kind tourist saved a helpless Olive Ridley sea turtle that was tangled in a fishing net in Costa Rica.

Edin Pavon spotted the creature while he was riding a boat returning from a trip to the Corcovado National Park in Puntarenas province on August 25.

He took the vessel closer to the animal and went to work pulling the net's knots loose. The sizeable turtle then paddled back to open seas after it was freed.

Edin said: 'This is all because the trash was dumped in the ocean. I am so glad we freed the turtle before it was too late.'

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the Olive Ridley turtle as a 'vulnerable' species. It said the reptile's population is declining due to pollution, hunting, expansion of commercial and industrial areas, and extreme temperatures due to climate change, among other threats listed.