Sea turtle hugs diver after being cut free from fishing net (video)

A sea turtle shows his gratitude to a diver who rescues him from a fishing net by giving him a hug.

Cameron Dietrich and Colin Sutton spotted the trapped turtle while spear fishing for tuna off Mexico's coast.

Dietrich dives in and goes to work untangling the rope - possibly part of a fishing net - from around the turtle's flipper.

Using a dive knife, Dietrich carefully cut away the tangle of rope and netting that had wrapped itself around a front fin, while Sutton helped the turtle to float, reports the Daily Mail.

Once free, the sea turtle turns and begins to swim away but then he changes his mind.

Sutton captures the tender moment on his go-pro camera as the turtle circles back and swims up face to face with Dietrich with his nose just inches away, allowing the diver to gently hold him.

Is this the endangered sea creature's way of saying thank you?

Since the video of the touching encounter was uploaded on YouTube earlier this month it has been viewed more than 1.6 million times.

The World Wildlife Fund says fishing gear is the greatest threat to endangered sea turtles like loggerheads, green turtles and leather backs.

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