A trip to retrieve some craypots left some local fishermen spotting something far bigger off the coast of Waimārama this weekend.

Olly Ryan was out on the water on Saturday when he spotted a “big splash” about 3km from his boat.

“It caught my eye, but I didn’t really get a good look at it and then probably a couple of minutes later I saw another one.

“So, I thought well must be a whale, probably and I had a mate’s grandson with me, so I decided to go over and have a look and then came across that whale breaching. We probably saw it breach about 30 times.”

It is thought that breaching has a number of different purposes including parasite removal, assisting with feeding, communication and getting visibility above water. Photo / Olly Ryan

General curator at National Aquarium of New Zealand, Joe Woolcott, said Ryan and his young passenger are “very lucky to see one” by Bare Island.

“Sightings of humpback whales are not particularly common in the area; however, its presence does not necessarily mean anything unusual is going on.

“Humpback whales pass through our waters as part of an incredible annual migration which sees them spending summer feeding around Antarctica and winter in the tropics, where breeding takes place.”

Woolcott said the whale breaching was “very normal behaviour for humpback whales”.

“It is thought that breaching has a number of different purposes including parasite removal, assisting with feeding, communication and getting visibility of above water surroundings.”

Walcott said if fishermen and boaties come across whales or any marine mammals, they should give them plenty of space, adhering to minimum distance guidelines.

“Photographs which show the detail of markings on whales can be used by scientists to identify individuals and help with understanding the population and their movements. Records of marine mammal sightings can be registered on the DoC website.”

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and spent the last 15 years working in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier. He reports on all stories relevant to residents of the region, along with pieces on art, music, and culture.