This is the dramatic moment a distressed 33ft humpback whale was rescued from a net off the coast of Australia.

The large marine mammal had been tangled in the shark control program net as it was swimming off Mermaid Beach in Gold Coast on June 6 during peak migration season.

Footage shows how rescuers from Sea World Australia battled to free the stranded creature, which appeared to be stressed as it frequently gulped in air through its blowhole.

In a statement, Mitchell Olivey, Communications Manager of Village Roadshow Theme Parks which operates Sea World, said: 'The whale was first reported late on Monday (June 5) afternoon, but with poor weather, sea and light conditions, the rescue team embarked before first light on Tuesday (June 6) morning to commence the operation.

'The rescue teams worked collaboratively to successfully disentangle the whale from two vessels using specialised cutting equipment to remove all the netting from the whale's head and pectoral fins in around an hour.'

Following the successful rescue mission, the humpback whale was seen returning to the open sea.