UPDATE: THE two whales that were being towed to safety in deep water after beaching themselves yesterday broke free from the slings they were being carried in.
Wildlife workers were closely eyeing the south west coastline on Wednesday over fears the two whales would return and "re strand", something whales tend to do when they are released back into the water too close to the shore, a DEC spokeswoman said.
The DEC used a Sea Search and Rescue boat to winch the whales out to sea on large slings.
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FOUR Grays beaked whales beached themselves on the shore in front of Busselton Hospital yesterday afternoon.
Department of Environment and Conservation officers arrived on the scene, and at around 3.30pm, five people were working towards getting the last whales, which looked like large dolphins, back into the ocean.
Two were pushed back into the water by members of the public before DEC arrived, and the other two were to be pulled out into deeper water in slings by a Sea Search and Rescue boat.
DEC was working towards gathering the final two whales together while waiting for the boat to arrive.
A crowd of approximately 40 interested onlookers were gathered, with many taking photos of the unusual occurrence.
The rescue was still taking place when the Mail went to press yesterday afternoon.