This is the heartwarming moment fishermen rescued a sea turtle tangled up in a ghost net off an island in southern Thailand.

The crew were trawling in waters around remote Koh Lipe island in Satun province when they found the sea creature stuck in the net floating among ocean debris.

Footage shows how the hero locals bent over the water and used a knife to cut sections of knotted net around the turtle's body.

They then hauled the creature aboard their boat to continue hacking away at the net as the turtle waved its flippers helplessly.

After several minutes, the turtle was finally entangled and was released back into the water.

On August 11, an oil-covered sea turtle ensnared in a fishing net was rescued off the coast of Phuket in southern Thailand. The slick was first noticed on August 5 and is believed to have originated from a tanker that was anchored off the coast of the island.

Ghost nets floating in the sea and by-catch from trawlers are among the biggest threats to turtles and other endangered marine life.