UPDATE: A young whale trapped in shark nets off Main Beach has been freed.

The entangled eight-metre juvenile was spotted around seven thirty this morning by Lifeguards and beach-goers.

Sea World and other rescue crews headed out to cut the net and free the youngster.

Manager of the Shark Control Program Jeff Krause said after a few hours in rough conditions the whale was freed.

“We started cutting some of the rope away and the whale did a bit of a body roll and the remaining net just fell off,” he said.

It's the first whale to become caught in shark nets off the Gold Coast so far this migration season.