Humpback whale seen swimming through floating garbage off Sydney coast

A heart-breaking drone video from the coast of east Australia shows the extent of ocean plastic pollution as a humpback whale swam through polluted waters yesterday (June 9).

Filmed off the coast of Whale Beach, Sydney, the footage shows the whale surfacing near a slick on the surface and other pieces of floating garbage, before swimming away out to sea.

The filmer commented: "It's the start of the whale migration in these parts when they head north looking for warmer waters to breed and spend the winter.

"We are keen supporters of the worldwide drive to ban single-use plastics and feel the video would be a good example to support this.

"We believe we all have a responsibility to look after the health of our oceans and the planet in general. We take part in every beach and bush cleanup we can find, and often do impromptu ones ourselves."