Hundreds of locals and tourists alike lined the foreshore in awe to witness the spectacle from about 8am to 9.30am.

Department of Environment and Conservation, Esperance district wildlife officer, Adam Rayner, said that it was quite late in the season for the whales to be coming through Esperance but not unusual.

However the incident was tarnished with human error when a woman jumped into the water and swam towards the whale and proceeded to take photos despite being told not to.

“People are not allowed within 30m of the whale as it is a breach of the Wildlife Conservation Act and they are compromising their own safety,” Mr Rayner said.

A boat was also observed getting as close as 50m of the whales.

“Members of the community present expressed concern at the proximity of the boat to the whales,” Mr Rayner said.

“Boats are not allowed to come within 100m of whales at any time and one was observed within about 50m, which seemed to disturb the whales and cause them to move away from the area,” he said.

It is believed there was a third whale at the scene earlier.