Whale watchers gather on the coast for the annual census

From the Byron Bay lighthouse in the north, to the far south coast, and at dozens of coastal vantage spots in between, hundreds of volunteers gathered for Australia's annual whale census.

For 20 years, the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORCCA), has been organising the annual census, delighted in the rising numbers of volunteers, the public interest in the event, and in the increased pods of humpback whales, many of them pregnant females heading north to breed in warmer waters.

Jacqueline O'Neill, the organisation's president, said hundreds of counting forms had been downloaded from the website and despite the chilly and choppy conditions on the coast, the amount of interest in the census was stronger than ever.

"We expect to get hundreds of forms to process which will take several weeks to finalise, but the early feedback is very promising on another increase in the whale numbers," she said.

"Every year we see an increase of around seven to 10 per cent in the numbers which is a wonderful outcome for the whales and for our coastal eco-tourism industries."

The record-takers were out on land and sea, with drones launched from boats to record vision and gain a more accurate count.

Last year around 35,000 humpbacks were recorded on their long journey north to warmer waters after feasting heavily in the krill-rich Southern Ocean.

ORCCA volunteer Monica Mudge braved the windy conditions to stand on Warden Head at Ulladulla to take part in the whale count for the seventh time.

"It's just one of those days we all love. We look forward to it and to seeing the numbers increasing is really, really cool," Mrs Mudge said.

From her vantage point, conditions on the coast weren't particularly favourable for whale watching, making spotting the mammals difficult.

Despite this, the volunteers at Ulladulla spotted 116 humpback whales on Sunday. Also spotted was a seal and some dolphins, Mrs Mudge said.

"The wind is coming from every direction, which makes it hard to spot them, so the more eyes we have down there, the better," she said.

"It's always a bit tricky when it is choppy, but I would encourage people to go to a count near them and have a look. If nothing else, they will get to look at the beautiful ocean."

Mrs Mudge said the water temperature was about 17 degrees, a temperature ideal for whales.