East Lothian fisherman describes 'jaw-dropping moment' when he spotted two humpback whales near Dunbar harbour

A local fisherman from East Lothian experienced a ‘once in a lifetime moment’ when he spotted two humpback whales off the coast of Dunbar.

Brian Sinclair was out fishing at around 8pm on Monday night, about a mile out from Dunbar harbour, when he saw his first glimpse of the whales.

"I saw a splash out of the corner of my eye”, he said. Mr Sinclair told his fellow crew members that he thought he had spotted a whale, but they hadn’t seen anything.

Only a minute later, Mr Sinclair and the other fishermen saw another humpback whale breach the water.

"They were so massive, and they came right out of the water,” he said. "It was jaw-dropping.”

The local fisherman regularly spots minke whales, dolphins and porpoises while out on the boat, but had never seen a humpback whale before Monday.

"It was a once in a lifetime moment”, he added.

An image of a previous sighting of a humpback whale. Picture: Ronnie Mackie

One of his colleagues has been at sea for 30 years, but had never spotted a humpback before.

Mr Sinclair said: “I’m glad the other two crew saw as well, as they wouldn’t have believed me!”

Last month, another humpback was spotted in the Firth of Forth, by tourists on a boat heading from Anstruther to the Isle of May.

Although once rare, humpback whales are now being seen more often in Scottish waters.

In wintertime, the Firth of Forth is often used by the animals as a feeding ground as they prepare to head further north. However, it is rare to see them in the area in June.