A rare sighting of blue whales in the Terrigal waters has locals excited.
The majestic mammal was seen swimming 900 meters offshore, in what is believed to be the first time one has been seen off the central New South Wales coast.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Ronny Ling of Marine Wildlife Rescue Central Coast told NBN News.
“This is the holy grail, seeing a blue whale in your own backyard is absolutely phenomenal.”
What makes it even more exciting for whale watchers is how few such sightings have taken place over the past century.
“They are very rare and there have only been six sightings off the east coast of Australia in the last hundred years,” Andrew “Skipper” Jones told NBN News.
Ahmet was on whale watching duty with his friend Chris Dick when they spotted him in a drone.
“It’s amazing: you see it in documentaries, but you don’t understand how big and graceful this creature is,” Ahmet. he told NBN News.
The animal is believed to be a rare pygmy blue whale and is estimated to be around 25 meters long.
However, the sighting has raised some concerns among wildlife groups about the whale’s weight.
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“This animal itself looked quite skinny, we could really see the spine of the animal as it went,” Ling said.
“So hopefully you’ll get something really nutritious to eat, you’ll have a lot of good food, and you’ll be back to good health.”
Marine Wildlife Rescue Central Coast is using the sighting to issue a reminder.
They are warning ships to stay away from the animals during migration season as humpbacks and other species head north.