Oh, if only they'd looked behind them!
For there, almost entirely clear of the surface, was this 45ft beauty, turning in the sort of heart-stopping display that woudl have had their cameras whirring.
By the time any of them might have realised, however, the majestic mammal would have disappeared again into the waters off Cork on the south-west Irish coast.
mIt is one of the five humpback whales which have made the coast their home over the past few weeks, as they feast on native shoals of sprat and herring.
Sightings of the magnificent humpbacks throwing their 30-tonne bodies into the air have triggered an upsurge in interest at nearby Baltimore Harbour – to the delight of tourist bosses and businessmen.
The humbacks have even been joined by a number of fin and minke whales and common dolphins.
Nic Slocum, who runs Whale Watch West Cork, would normally have stopped his seasonal whale-watching trips by now.
But he said he is extending his daily cruises in his 32ft catamaran for as long as the whales remain off the coast.
He said: 'Baltimore has been given a huge boost. I would normally be operating until the end of November, but I'll keep going while the whales are there.
Seagulls fly above the huge mammal which is one of a group which have appeared near Baltimore in County Cork over recent days
The humpback whales were partaking in a communal hunting technique called bubble feeding. It involves blowing bubbles to disorientate a school of fish before scooping them up in their huge mouths as they leap out of the water
A dolphin, bottom right, looks tiny next to
the huge giant of the deep as it rises up for air in the chilly
November waters of the Atlantic
'Although they can be seen from the
shore, there's been a big demand from tourists to go out in a boat to
look at them. It's been great for business.'But it's impossible to say how long the whales will be around for. There's lots of herring for them here at the moment, but they could be gone any day.
'I've rarely known the seas off Baltimore as active as this.'
Kate Cottrell, whose husband Micheal runs Baltimore Sea Safari, said her phone hasn't stopped ringing over the past few days after word of the humpbacks spread. She said: 'Everyone's hoping the whales will be around for a good bit longer. Everyone's benefited and it would be great if the humpbacks did for Baltimore what Fungi has done for Dingle.'
A total of five humpback whales have made
the south-west coast of Ireland their home over the past few weeks, as
they feast on the native shoals of sprat and herring
The sightings of the magnificent humpbacks
throwing their 30-tonne bodies into the air has triggered an upsurge in
interest in the Baltimore Harbour
m
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