Whale tail thrills
A LARGE white whale has been spotted off Innisfail, delighting fishers and fuelling speculation that it could be Migaloo.
Yungaburra retiree Bernie Dobe was thrilled to see the whale swimming north alongside a "steel-grey" humpback near Peart Reef, about 30km off Mourilyan Harbour, on Monday morning.
"They were side by side and one was just brilliant white," Mr Dobe said.
"I’ve seen whales before but this is one of those images that sits there in your mind and you just hope it never fades.
"Even the tail of this whale was all white."
The two whales came to the surface several times and were last spotted heading north.
Three different albino whales have reportedly been seen off the east coast in the past month.
A whale thought to be Migaloo was spotted near Gosford on July 5 and a second white humpback was sighted off the Gold Coast a week later with distinctive black spots on its head and tail.
Reports of an infant albino whale were also made in waters off Sydney in early July.
Wildlife officers have warned recreational boaties and fishermen that a new and wider exclusion zone exists for white whales which have been classified of "special interest". Boaties must stay 500m from the whales.
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