Sugarloaf Point at Seal Rocks has to date recorded the highest number of whales sightings along the Mid North Coast during this year's National Parks and Wildlife Service and ORRCA (Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia) Whale Migration Census Day.
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Three hundred and one whales were sighted on June 27, while further north 227 were recorded at Tacking Point, Port Macquarie, 74 for South West Rocks and 285 at Hat Head.
While final statistics are yet to be released, volunteers are hopeful are hopeful this year's numbers will bring good news for the whale population.
ORRCA vice-president Jools Farrell said this year's numbers were looking promising, despite some number counts being lower than usual due to the Sydney and Central Coast COVID lockdown.
"Because of the lockdown, we couldn't send out our ORRCA members from Wollongong to the Central Coast and instead we have had to rely on members of the public who were out walking and exercising to send in their numbers," she said.
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"These numbers could rise further when we get all of the information back from members of the public.
"We're hoping that numbers will be close to last year, but because of lockdowns we might not get the most accurate numbers."
ORRCA volunteers counted 4851 humpback whales off the coast of Port Macquarie during June.
"There are a lot of whales travelling past at the moment and we've noticed that they are closer to shore than usual which means we're seeing more of them. It's been a really good season so far."
The one creature of the deep that everyone is keen to spot, Migaloo, is proving to be elusive this year.
"There was a report that someone saw Migaloo off Port Macquarie earlier this month, but at this stage there have been no confirmed sightings of him," Jools said.
"He usually heads north during June or July so he might not have gone past yet."
ORRCA volunteers are urging members of the public to call their 24/7 rescue number on 02 9415 3333 if they see a whale in distress.
"We have been called to eleven entangled whales this migration season," Jools said.
"We would rather have a false alarm than a whale be left in distress, so we encourage people to call our rescue number if they see a whale that's distressed."
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