Two southern right whales doing “lots of fin action” off the Warrnambool breakwater yesterday finally brought some live content to Warrnambool’s whale season this year.

After weeks in which the only whale sighted locally was a dead humpback whale washed onto rocks at Shelly Beach, west of Thunder Point, the two southern rights generated lots of excitement among whale fans.

Local whale expert Mandy Watson said the whales appeared to be two adults and their movements indicated they might be a mating pair.

“There’s been a lot of tail fin slices, a lot of rolling going on,” she said after observing them from the Warrnambool breakwater yesterday morning.

Ms Watson, a senior biodiversity officer with the Department of Sustainability and Environment, said there had been whales along the south-west coast since June but none had been sighted off Warrnambool until yesterday.

Ms Watson flew along the south-west coast on Tuesday and said there had been six whales in Discovery Bay, two in Port Fairy bay and one at Lorne.

The two that appeared at Warrnambool could be the pair that were in Port Fairy, she said.

Ms Watson said in some previous seasons whales had not been seen until August.

However, she was disappointed that no calves had been seen this season at Logans Beach, where whales have nursed their calves in the past.

“Calves are usually born by now,” she said.

Keen whale watcher Tanya Smith spotted a whale tail while having breakfast at Cannon Hill yesterday morning.

Miss Smith makes a special effort to see whales each year and said yesterday’s display was impressive.

Also among the sightseers at the breakwater were Leanne Butler and her friend Megan Cheyne.