Humpback whale spotted off Pembrokeshire coast

A humpback whale has been spotted swimming just off the Pembrokeshire coast.

Ffion Rees was leading a sightseeing boat tour on Tuesday when they saw the mammal - which she said was "very underweight".

She said it was the first time in 27 years of leading tours that she has seen the species in British waters.

Ms Rees said: "It was an amazing sight, but it was also very sad to see it in that condition."

Ms Rees splits her time between Wales - where she leads tours for her firm Falcon Boats in the summer - and the Antarctic Peninsula - where she works as a driver and lecturer throughout the winter months.

She said that during the initial excitement of seeing the humpback - which can grow up to 55ft (16.7m) long and weigh up to 40 tonnes - she failed to notice how underweight it was.

It was only when she returned to shore and looked at the pictures more closely that she realised its "bad" condition.

She said: "It was very thin, which was quite sad, and possibly quite young. It was not in good condition at all.

"It was very underweight. So it could be a youngster that hasn't done that well after leaving the mum."

The sighting comes just months after Wally the Walrus became a local celebrity when he spent weeks sunning himself in Tenby, Pembrokeshire.

Both animals are normally seen in much colder climates.

But unlike Wally, humpback whales travel to the Tropics to breed - so can deal with much warmer temperatures.

Ms Rees said the main issue will be whether the whale can find enough food to eat.

"It'll be a question of food sources rather than temperatures," she said.

"They feed on krill and small fish which are present in large quantities at the poles.

"So it'll be a question of whether it can get enough of the food it needs."