'Once-in-a-lifetime' humpback whale sighting

Peter Sanderson thinks the whale was so close to the shore to feed on sand eels

An off-duty fisherman enjoying a boat trip with his wife spotted a humpback whale feeding on eels.

Peter and Becky Sanderson sailed from Bridlington harbour to Flamborough South Landing on Tuesday evening and were slowly making their way home when they spotted the whale.

The Bridlington couple, who both love whales, had booked an upcoming humpback whale-spotting tour in Iceland but Mr Sanderson joked they might now cancel it.

He said the encounter, which lasted about half an hour, was a "really special" experience and "might be a once-in-a-lifetime thing".

Mr Sanderson, who has often seen minke whales along the east coast in his fishing boat, had never seen a humpback whale before and said this one was only about 50ft (15m) from the coast.

He described seeing the whale, which measured an estimated 40ft (12m), as "a bit of a Jaws moment".

He said the sea was "full of sand eels at the moment" and had spotted puffins, gannets and gulls with "mouthfuls of them", which he believed might be what attracted the whale so close to the shore.

Humpback whales are found in every ocean in the world. They have dark backs, light bellies, pleats on their throats, and a small hump in front of their dorsal fins, leading to the common name of "humpback."