Whale watchers were assisted by National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) staff for the national count on June 30, as well as Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) volunteers.

ORRCA second vice-president, Jools Farrell, said there was a lot of public interaction this year.

"We received a lot of community support this year and it was really great to see," said Mrs Farrell.

"It's just a great day to get out there with children, friends and family just to watch the whales come in.

"I think people are a lot more aware of how beautiful whales are and the spectacle they bring to the ocean with breaching and tail slapping."

Final statistics are yet to be released, however preliminary estimates from NSW are at least 2,225 humpback whales were sighted.

Four southern right whales, 168 dolphins, four penguins, one manta ray, two whitebellied sea eagles, one echidna and one Australian Kestral were also in the mix - all clearly not in the water.

"I think Port Macquarie will get close to 400 (sightings), they may be down minimally from last year," said Mrs Farrell.

"It could be a sign that whale numbers are starting to level out in the ocean at the moment, although we are still waiting for the full results.

"It's going to take us at least a week to get all the numbers, from members of the public and other states.

"We're confident that those increasing numbers will continue."

An ORRCA rescue team has also confirmed there is a humpback whale entangled by one white buoy, heading north from Terrigal after being sighted over the weekend (June 30).

"The more whale numbers we get each year unfortunately means there could be more entanglements," said Mrs Farrell.

"This new one is trailing rope from around its mouth and one white buoy behind it.

"It was going at quite a rapid pace so it's really hard to determine where it could be now."

People can contact ORRCA Rescue on 02 9415 3333.

Photo, video or GPS location of the animal are encouraged as soon as possible.

Whales are protected by a 100m exclusion zone in Australian waters, 300m if they have a calf or 500m if the animal is entangled.

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