A lucky group of surfers off Sydney's Cronulla Beach has had a close encounter with two humpback whales making their way up the coast.

Photographs posted online show about a dozen surfers watching as the mammals surface metres away from them on Sunday morning.

The whales came close to shore, making their way north towards Kurnell. ( Facebook: Cronulla-National Surfing Reserve )

Caringbah local Jodi Backhouse had taken her boat out with her husband and said they came across two other whales inside Jibbon Head before spotting the bigger pair.

"We hopped on behind them and followed them all the way to Kurnell headland, enjoying their antics off the rocks," Ms Backhouse said.

"We even commented whether the surfers even realised they were there, as they were missing out on the show."

"There were lots of tail flukes and slapping fins."

Ms Backhouse said the animals moved north quickly.

Whale watchers were treated to a close-up view of humpbacks making their way north off Cronulla Beach. ( Supplied: Jodi Backhouse )

Both she and her husband have ventured out the past three winters in the hope of spotting whales.

"Some days are great, other days are quiet — yesterday was a good day."

Humpbacks leave their summer feeding ground in the Antarctic and make their way up the Australian coast to breed off the Queensland coast.

The best time to spot them during the migration is between May and July before they head back to Antarctica in September and November.