And, on the beach itself, Gotfod points out canine footprints circling the putrefying carcass of a humpback whale, covered in ghost crabs.

BBC: The ghostly shore of Namibia��s Skeleton Coast

There was a collective gasp of awe and astonishment from everyone on deck as the humpback whale breached about 200 yards away.

BBC: Cruising into Gold Rush country

The image was inspired by a humpback whale butchered in 1883 at the Tay, which served as a main whaling port.

BBC: Giant Tay whale created in Dundee

An average-sized humpback whale eats 2, 000-2, 500 kg of plankton, krill and small, schooling fish but don't worry, no kayakers per day.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Travel Watch | Open the Door to Cool Summer a Escape

Humpback whale breeding grounds once could be found in any ocean.

CNN: waves

Leaving popular Whitehaven Beach, paddle towards Peter Bay, 19km north on Whitsunday Island, where you may see a sea eagle gracefully plucking dinner from the ocean and perhaps a humpback whale breaching the surface.

BBC: Kayaking Australia��s Whitsunday Islands

The Navy disputes his assessment, saying this year's humpback whale season was normal, and more whales than ever before were seen in March 1998, when biologists studied humpbacks' response to the Navy's Low-Frequency Active Sonar (LFAS) equipment in Hawaiian waters.

CNN: waves

Attracted by plankton, krill and large shoals of herring, minke, fin, humpback, and the occasional killer whale habitually pass through the briny coastal waters between Donegal and Cork City.

BBC: Whale watching on Ireland��s newest coastal route