A Welsh surf school has spotted what it believes to be a humpback whale off the Pembrokeshire coast on one of the warmest days of the year. West Coast Surf School captured footage of the whale as it surfaced off the coast between Caldey Island and Tenby.
The Sea Watch Foundation, which studies whales and dolphins in the UK, said it looked like a humpback. Katrin Lohrengel said: "From what I can see here, the big bushy blow and the hump before the fin, this actually looks like a humpback whale."
Simone Evans, sightings officer for the organisation, added: "It is unusual to have humpbacks that close in but not unheard of. We've had reports of humpback whales in Pembrokeshire area over the years of which our last were in 2021 where we had three reports. We've also had yearly reports of other whale species in that area with the most common being Minke whales.
"Whales used to frequent these waters a lot more before and it seems they are slowly coming back, which is good news. As long as the animals that are close are not in distress then there shouldn't be reason for concern. We are keeping an eye on the reports as they come in. With the increase in whales we can only ask that people follow the marine rules of conduct, not chase the animals, and keep a respectful distance as stipulated in the rules."
In August 2021 a humpback whale was spotted peering out of the water at a tourist boat near Tenby. And there was much excitement last summer when a Tenby sailor spotted a huge shark in shallow water.
And of course we can't forget Wally the walrus turning up in March 2021. He selected the RNLI lifeboat ramp as his basking spot of choice.
The latest sighting by West Coast Surf School on Thursday may only be brief but it was enough to see the whale blow water into the air and dive back below the water surface. Although humpback whales can often be confused with other types of whales pectoral fins are the "decisive clue". This particular animal doesn't seem to have any leading experts to agree it's likely a humpback.
The species can grow up to 55ft long and weigh up to 40 tons and feeds on krill and small fish. This particular mammal is most likely following shoals of fish or avoiding predators on an annual migration from winter warm tropical waters to a northern cooler water area.
Earlier this month a sperm whale was discovered on a surf beach in Gwynedd and another was washed up on a beach at Cleethorpes, near Grimsby, in England. There was also an eight-hour operation to remove the carcass of a fin whale washed up on Bridlington Beach, East Yorkshire, and another whale found washed up onto a beach in the Highlands.
The Sea Watch Foundation said the increase in recent cetacean strandings was "notable". It said: "Due to factors such as increasing anthropogenic activities and climate change, continued stress on marine mammal health and as a result, increasing numbers of cetacean strandings are predicted.
"The stranding of the female sperm whale on Porth Neigwl Beach was highly unusual. As females tend to aggregate in lower latitudes (less than 40°) with water deeper than 1,000m and sea surface temperatures higher than 15°C their occurrence in British waters with latitudes of over 50° (Porth Neigwl Beach at 52°) is noticeably out of habitat. This whale was the fourth female ever recorded stranded in the UK and only the second one ever in Wales....It remains unclear what ultimately lead to the animal’s stranding." The public can report the sightings to the Sea Watch Foundation either online via their website or via their Sea Watcher App which will help the organisation monitor the behaviour and distributions of these animals.
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