whale

Nets along the east coast also routinely entangle humpback whales on their annual migration to and from the tropics.

Humpback whales were hardest hit, accounting for 77 of the cases.

The crew also find comfort in the wonders of the ocean - dolphins and flying fish, and one night an encounter with a pod of friendly minke whales, swimming in bio-luminescent water.

A minke whale in Long Beach Harbor and a gray whale stranded on Huntington City Beach also succumbed to the outbreak.

The athlete began the swim in Reyjavik on 17 May, expecting to face choppy waters, killer whales and temperatures as low as 3C.