A diver rescued a bat ray hooked to fishing line in the coast of southern California.<br /><br />Footage captured on June 13 shows the diver using a knife to cut the bat ray, a species common in the western American coasts, free from the fishing line off a pier in Goleta.<br /><br />The manta then swims away.<br /><br />The filmer told Newsflare: ''We were diving off the Goleta Pier to take photos my buddy and I came across a bat ray resting at the base of a piling. When we got closer we noticed it was hooked to some fishing line that was tangled up on the pier. <br /><br />''After checking it wasn't hooked onto an active fisherman’s line we worked on freeing it. <br /><br />''My buddy was not too keen on touching a bat ray with a poisonous barbed tail so I got hold of the line and carefully cut it as close to the mouth as possible. <br /><br />''I tried to see if I could get the hook out but it was too deep in the mouth and I ain’t losing a finger. Once it was free I tuned it right side up and off it swam.<br /><br />''I enjoy diving off of man-made structures, but it's sad sometimes to see the rubbish that litters the seafloor from above. I keep finding golf balls for some reason. <br /><br />''We need alternatives to fishing line, as it is easily cast and forgotten but remains under still longer than it needs to.''
