Project Jonah said in a statement posted to Facebook that they were expecting water around the whales at 10.30am and were urging the public to help.
“Some of our team have been working here since Monday and are understandably exhausted, however we continue to work caring for the welfare of the surviving whales.”
Whales on Golden Bay in Tasman have become re-stranded. Photo / Project Jonah New Zealand
They asked volunteers to “be self-sufficient” with food, water and a wetsuit.
“We’ve mobilised available medics from the top of the south region.
“We’ll provide updates across the day, where possible.”
Thirty-nine pilot whales were originally stranded on Monday. The total death toll for the whales now stands at six, and 19 are still alive and stranded.
The whales became stranded around 5.30pm as members of the public, including families with young children, ran to the beach and attempted to keep the animals wet as the tide retreated.
As refloating began, hundreds of volunteers formed a “human wall” and used banging noises to prevent the whales from returning to the beach.
Four of the whales succumbed on the beach, but the rest were successfully refloated.
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