The whale that came dangerously close to swimmers at Port Beach on Saturday has become beached on a sandbar 70 metres off the shore of Rockingham Beach.
At around 5am this morning, authorities were notified by a member of the public that a 15-metre sperm whale had become stuck.
District manager for the Department of Biodiversity Conservation Mark Cugley says the whale began migrating further south yesterday and suspects it may be unwell.
“Yesterday, it was swimming in those tight circles, which isn’t normal behaviour, which I guess makes us concerned that not everything is well with the animal,” Mr Cugley said.
“At times, it became grounded on shallow sand bars, and it would swim off again, then it would get grounded again, so it’s concerning, and that’s why we need to fully assess its health.
“It’s got a little bit of sunburn, and it’s a little bit sunken and depressed behind its melon (forehead), which isn’t a great sign of body condition.”
In the next hour, authorities will go out on a boat to assess what can be done to free the whale.
“If it’s beached (we’ll look at) what the tide is doing and whether there’s an opportunity for it to become free swimming again,” Mr Cugley said.
“We’re also concerned about the animal and whether it needs to be euthanised.”
The beach has been closed to swimmers, and a shark warning has been issued, but no sharks have been spotted yet.