One of its rescuers, Neal Cameron, said a tourist couple walking along the sand spotted what many people coming down the pathway to the beach missed for several days, even though they walked past close enough to touch the animal.

Video: Watch Neal cut the seal free and celebrate while mate Adam Williams catches it all on his smartphone.

In its distressed state the creature had kept its head down and was well camouflaged under foliage beside the path.

In the recent big stormy seas it had washed up after becoming entangled in some sort of fishing net, possibly a keeper’s bag, which had then snagged on a small tree.

Neal Cameron from Lake Conjola and mate Adam Williams from Wandandian were also on the beach, so the couple walking told them of the seal’s plight.

“The beach walkers asked Neal and me to help,” Mr Williams said.

“When we found him he was pushed back up into the scrub on the shoreline, with the green fishing net around his head and torso, and was quite distressed.”

Mr Cameron had some gloves and a fishing knife.

“We were able to free him from the treeline first and then from the rest of the fishing net,” Mr Cameron said.

“It was pretty stroppy, snarling at us to start with but we held it tight to immobilise it and lifted it up so it couldn’t get any traction with its flippers on the sand.”

Once Neal’s final knife stroke cut the seal free, instinct immediately kicked in.

“He slapped his way back to the ocean, not once did it turn around and say thanks,” Mr Williams said.

“We estimated the seal might have been there for well over a week, with the recent large swells we’ve.”

“It looked like an Australian fur seal, which is commonly found along the NSW coastline.”