A dead humpback whale has washed up in an ocean pool at Newport Beach, on Sydney's northern beaches.
There is a sign saying "beach closed due to whale carcass" warning locals not to swim, but some surfers ignored the risk of sharks attracted by the creature.
Callers to 702 ABC Sydney described the scene.
"It's smashed the railings in where it's washed in over. So it's just lodged there in the pool at the southern end of the beach," one said.
National Parks and Wildlife Service spokesman Jeff Ross says it is not unusual to see old or sick humpbacks wash up in big seas.
"What happens is they'll die at sea and usually that's all dealt with by those big predators that are sitting out there offshore," he said.
"In big seas the predators don't get the opportunity to deal with the carcass so it often washes in and we've seen that on several occasions over the last few years."
He says it will be a challenge to dispose of the carcass.
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