Patiently the whale-watchers stood on deck, straining their eyes, searching the sea for the first exciting glimpse of a humback…

Oh, if only they’d looked behind them!

For there, almost entirely clear of the surface, was this 45ft beauty, turning in the sort of heart-stopping display that woudl have had their cameras whirring.

By the time any of them might have realised, however, the majestic mammal would have disappeared again into the waters off Cork on the south-west Irish coast.

A boat of whale watchers look the wrong way as a humpback dramatically breaches off the coast of Ireland, the moment was captured by crew aboard a nearby lifeboat

It is one of the five humpback whales which have made the coast their home over the past few weeks, as they feast on native shoals of sprat and herring.

Sightings of the magnificent humpbacks throwing their 30-tonne bodies into the air have triggered an upsurge in interest at nearby Baltimore Harbour – to the delight of tourist bosses and businessmen.

The humbacks have even been joined by a number of fin and minke whales and common dolphins.

Nic Slocum, who runs Whale Watch West Cork, would normally have stopped his seasonal whale-watching trips by now.

But he said he is extending his daily cruises in his 32ft catamaran for as long as the whales remain off the coast.

He said: ‘Baltimore has been given a huge boost. I would normally be operating until the end of November, but I’ll keep going while the whales are there.

Seagulls fly above the huge mammal which is one of a group which have appeared near Baltimore in County Cork over recent days

The humpback whales were partaking in a communal hunting technique called bubble feeding. It involves blowing bubbles to disorientate a school of fish before scooping them up in their huge mouths as they leap out of the water

A dolphin, bottom right, looks tiny next to the huge giant of the deep as it rises up for air in the chilly November waters of the Atlantic

‘Although they can be seen from the shore, there’s been a big demand from tourists to go out in a boat to look at them. It’s been great for business.

‘But it’s impossible to say how long the whales will be around for. There’s lots of herring for them here at the moment, but they could be gone any day.

‘I’ve rarely known the seas off Baltimore as active as this.’

Kate Cottrell, whose husband Micheal runs Baltimore Sea Safari, said her phone hasn’t stopped ringing over the past few days after word of the humpbacks spread. She said: ‘Everyone’s hoping the whales will be around for a good bit longer. Everyone’s  benefited and it would be great if the humpbacks did for Baltimore what Fungi has  done for Dingle.’

A total of five humpback whales have made the south-west coast of Ireland their home over the past few weeks, as they feast on the native shoals of sprat and herring

The sightings of the magnificent humpbacks throwing their 30-tonne bodies into the air has triggered an upsurge in interest in the Baltimore Harbour

The humbacks have even been joined by a number of fin and minke whales and common dolphins, which have started to lure hundreds of curious visitors

The playful pod have been seen feeding and appearing to play as a group.

And these pictures were captured by lifeboat man Youen Jacob, 37 – as he and his crewmates were treated to a spectacular display.

He said: ‘They have been bubble feeding for the past two weeks, using bubbles from their blow holes to push fish to the surface, and they have been tail slapping and seeming to play with one another.

‘They looked like they were enjoying themselves as well, blocking each other and breaching out of the water.

‘When this one whale breached by our boat we knew about it, he was massive, and when I looked at the photo I realised everyone else was looking the wrong way.’

The playful pod of the humpbacks – which can weigh up to 40 tonnes and measure 50 foot long – have been seen feeding and appearing to play as a group

When lifeboat crew member Youen Jacob, 37, went out to take a closer look at the surfacing whale he and his crewmates were treated to a spectacular display

The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12¿16metres and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms