Wildlife buffs on quest to see humpback whales

Humpback whale sightings off the coast of Newquay have brought visitors from around the country.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust said it had been "inundated" with sightings of the cetaceans in recent weeks.

Some people have travelled hundreds of miles to see the whales, with one whale-watcher comparing the experience to watching the solar eclipse in 1999.

Ron Prescott, from Bromsgrove near Birmingham, said seeing a humpback whale breach off the coast made the hairs on his arms stand up.

Mr Prescott said he spent time in the South West from time to time because he had family in the area.

He was among about 100 other people at Bedruthan Steps in Newquay on Thursday, and said it was the man stood next to him who pointed the whale out in the distance.

Mr Prescott said: "It just makes the hairs on your arms stand up, it's an amazing feeling.

"What an amazing sight to see, it's incredible."

He added: "I don't want to go home, that's the problem, and I have got to go home...but I'm going to be down the next few days.

"But being with a group is the best thing because you've got lots of eyes on, and if you miss it somebody else spots it, so that's the way to go I think."

He added: "It's excitement like a buzz, it reminds me of when I was here for the eclipse in '99, it was that sort of feeling."

Mother and daughter Karen and Ellie Young travelled to Newquay from Southampton, hoping to catch a glimpse of a whale.

Karen said: "It's been very lovely to see them, you'll see the dorsal fin and tails, and definitely the spray, that's what you should look for really the spray, from their blowhole, that's where you'll see what they're doing.

"So they're diving down to get all the fish and then coming up for air and blowing air, then you'll see the tail as they go back down again.

"It's very exciting."

Karen said she and her daughter recently went to Iceland, where they also saw humpback whales at "close range".

"We are a bit geeky when it comes to cetaceans and whales and dolphins - we've been all around the world looking at things," she added.

Ian Boreham, who lives in Newquay, has taken part in training and citizen science programmes run by Cornwall Wildlife Trust, and said he spent a lot of his spare time "surveying the coastline".

He said: "We've got such a range around our shore, we've got everything from porpoises, common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins... and whales.

"Here alone, I've seen minke whales, and also fin whales, and now humpbacks, which have been spectacular."

Mr Boreham said he had been out on a boat trip in Newquay.

"I was very fortunate to be out on a boat where we had a humpback whale breaching around us, and to see the whole body lift out of the water, it was just spectacular."

Various social media pages have appeared in the last few weeks, with hundreds of people reporting sightings of the humpback whales in one.

Bex Allen, marine conservation officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said the whales were "such a great ambassador for the marine environment", and had brought "so much happiness to so many people".

The trust has been collecting data on sightings, and said the number had "gone through the roof".

She said: "People can see it really well from the coast, so that's not doing the whale any harm, it's completely unaware of our presence.

"I think if it was summer it might be different, because you'd have a lot more water users out there, and then obviously they'd be attracted to that presence as well.

"So far this winter, we've had a few boats going out to see the whale, and they've been actually really well-behaved, they've followed the code of conduct of being at least 100m (328ft) away, and usually much more actually and being very respectful, travelling really slow, making sure they don't box it in against the coast."

Ms Allen said eco-tourism was "a great thing when it's done in the right way".

"It brings a lot of joy and education to people, and it helps to draw money into the area, so we wouldn't know an awful lot about these whales without it to be honest, because it generates so much research," she added.

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