Marine wildlife rescuers freed a turtle that was found tangled in a ghost net on a beach in southern Thailand.

The conservationists were walking along the shore when they noticed the stranded reptile trapped in a fishing net in Phang Nga province on August 3.

Footage shows the team using small knives to cut the net wrapped around the turtle's flippers and shell. They then turned it over and sliced away at the remaining netting on its belly.

When the creature was finally freed, the rescue team checked it was uninjured then carried it toward the sea and gently ushered it back into the water.

A similar rescue happened on August 11 when 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.