Whales have appeared off the coast of Vung Boi-De Gi beach close to Quy Nhon in central Vietnam over the past three weeks. People have flocked to the area to capture exciting images of a pod of whales.

The Bryde whales swim near local fishing boats.

On August 4, between 5 and 7 am, the whales, which weigh an average of 1–2 tons for young individuals and up to 20 tons for large individuals, were seen swimming. The sea mammals are normally five to seven metres long for small ones and up to 15 metres long for big ones.

Do Thanh Toan, a local resident, is among the first to spot the whales.

Toan found two blue whales swimming in the waters off the Hon Trau Island on July 26, which takes about 45 minutes to drive a canoe from De Gi beach.

People see the blue whales hunting close to the shore.

The last time he saw the blue whales was in the morning of August 6. It was stunning to see the whales rising from the water with their mouths open and seagulls were flying above them, Toan said.

It's rare to see blue whales close to De Gi beach over recent years. The local fishermen believe the whales will bring good luck.

Whales usually feed on small fish, small plankton, and krill which drifts in the nutrient rich waters where they live.

The moment captures a whale rising from the seawater surrounded by a flock of seagulls, drawing plenty of attention of photographers.

Whales hunting close to the shore create amazing scenes.

Many tourists hire boats to travel to the area where the whales have been spotted.

De Gi sea is the only place in Vietnam where healthy whales swim near the shore to hunt for food for many days. A research by Marine Life Vietnam shows that Bryde whales are most common in tropical and subtropical waters, with temperatures ranging from 16-22 °C. Bryde whales are on the IUCN Red List of threatened species in need of protection.