Humpback whale puts on 'show' in Cornwall

A humpback whale in the Isles of Scilly "put on a show" for visitors, leaving them in awe.

Molly Wates, who lives in West Sussex, said it was an "unbelievable" sight as the breaching whale emerged from the water.

Ms Wates said they saw the mammal behind St Martins on Friday at about 11:45 GMT.

"The whale was sort of just coming up, then suddenly he just started breaching out of the water and put on a proper display for us," she said.

"The boatman Neil has been going out for 20-plus years but he has never seen them put on a display like that.

"It was amazing, just unbelievable... your wildest dreams really."

Ms Wates said she recently visited New Zealand where there were "loads of whales", however she did not see any while trying to spot them.

"Then to see them off the coast of Cornwall is pretty cool," she added.

"We saw a pod of dolphins and some seals as well. Apparently, the humpbacks have been around for a month or so."

The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust have been contacted for more information.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust said while humpback whales were "still fairly infrequent", evidence suggested Cornwall was experiencing more humpback whale sightings each year, with winter being the main time to see them.

"While not confirmed, one theory is the whales that stop off here over the winter are juveniles or non-breeding adults, feeding-up on shoals of fish," the trust added.

"Humpback whales are unmistakable thanks to their unique knobbly head and the five-meter-long wing-like pectoral fins that they often raise and slap on the surface."

On Thursday wildlife cameraman Dan Abbott captured drone footage of a humpback whale at Watergate Bay near Newquay.

Mr Abbott, known as Sharkman Dan on social media, said: "It is the first few sightings of the winter season which is quite exciting.

"There are going to be questions around why there are more humpbacks because seeing a humpback over the years isn't completely unheard of, but there does seem to be an increase in numbers and especially last year, it was incredible for humpback sightings around Cornwall."

He said having filmed wildlife all over the world, there was something "really special" about seeing the animal in the UK.

You can listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds.