WHALES aren’t usually so happy to end up on the beach. But then, they’re also not usually 130m long.

The giant humpback materialised on the white sands of Shoal Bay in Port Stephens on Monday thanks to the work of more than 1000 human volunteers forming its silhouette in recognition of whale conservation and the booming whale-watching season.

Whale-watching industry spokesman Frank Future, who helped organise yesterday’s event, said July was the peak period for the migration north of thousands of humpbacks and other whale species.

media_camera More than 1000 people helped create the human whale on Shoal Bay Beach. Picture: Peter Lorimer.

“Probably more than half of the population will pass here over the next four weeks, so there are literally hundreds of whales coming through every day,” he said.

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“We’ve had pods of up to seven whales coming through and they all look pretty healthy, which is a good sign.”

“They all look well-fed, they’re very active and there is a lot of mating going on.”

media_camera Recent whale action off the coast of Nelson Bay. Picture: Peter Lorimer.

Humpbacks migrate up to 10,000km every year, from summer feeding grounds in the Antarctic to tropical waters closer to the Equator where they mate and give birth.

Experts estimate that by the early 1960s, whaling had pushed the east coast migration population to little more than 100 individuals, but it has since bounced back, increasing at 10-11 per cent every year.