This is the heartwarming moment a group of divers rescued a sea turtle that was tangled in fishing nets.

Chatuphon Ketrat was returning from a trip with friends when they spotted the marine creature struggling off the coast of Trang, southern Thailand, on August 18.

The helpless creature was drifting on the surface with plastic pollution caught up in the mass of string ropes. The net was also covering its shell and legs, preventing it from swimming properly through the water.

Without hesitation, Chatuphon kicked off his rescue mission by carrying the turtle up from the sea waters and began to cut off the nets over the shells using a knife.

The group loosened the net after parts of it tore, finally letting go of the poor turtle.

He then freed the creature in the sea waters and was able to swim back into the depths.

Chatuphon Ketrat, the turtle rescuer, said: "I came across the helpless turtle in the water, so we had to rescue it.''

One of the biggest threats to sea turtles is being accidentally caught and killed in discarded fishing nets.

The trapped turtles are usually dragged down through the water and cannot swim to the surface to breathe until they drown.