51³Ô¹ÏÍø

An enormous pod of humpback whales was filmed frolicking off the New South Wales South Coast on September 13. When Merimbula woman Sharon Wellard and her partner heard of a "mega-pod of humpbacks" feeding off a nearby beach, the pair decided to embark on a whale watching adventure. Setting off at sunrise the following day in a small inflatable boat, they scoured the coastal waters without much luck until they found themselves near Haycock Beach. Some four kilometres out from the beach the duo spotted a pod near the coast. "The water appeared to be boiling with the intense activity of blows and dives," Wellard told Storyful. "Some whales appeared to be moving quite chaotically, others were moving co-operatively. They were everywhere." Unexpectedly, a second pod emerged much closer. "They were obviously feeding," Wellard said. "Some of them were lunging through the water beside us, some were coming up with their mouths open like a bucket." In this footage shot by Wellard, the humpbacks engaged in all manners of aquatic fun, breaching and blowing in the blue Pacific waters. Between the months of April and November, Australia' east coast transforms into a https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/animals-and-plants/native-animals/native-animal-facts/whales/whale-watching-in-nsw whale thoroughfare as the massive marine mammals seek warmer waters. (Footage By Sharon Wellard/Storyful via Getty Images)