This is the dramatic moment a whale shark trapped in a fishing net was freed and swam back into the ocean.

The endangered creature washed ashore while flailing in the ropes in Aceh Province, Indonesia on Sunday July 26.

Footage shows how the whale shark was being battered by the choppy seas as waves repeatedly crashed against its body.

Residents rushed into the water tried to untangle the netting. However, the conditions were too difficult so they later attached the next to a boat and dragged the creature into the water where the net was cut.

"Thank God, the whale shark was been released back to the sea," said Akmaluddin, Head of Blangpadang Village.

"In the waters around here it is shrimp season. For the past few days, whale sharks are often seen in the waters.''

Whale sharks, which have a length of approximately three meters, become tangled in fishing nets that are used to catch shrimp.

Meanwhile, news of rescuing the whale shark by the people in Aceh received appreciation from officials from the marine and fisheries ministry.

It is hoped that the awareness of the fishermen in West Aceh towards the preservation of whale sharks can be an example for fishermen in other regions of Indonesia.

Some fishing trawlers that accidentally snare whale sharks drag them ashore and sell them.

The animals are classed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.