A dead whale that has been floating at a beach in the Royal National Park, north of Wollongong, for the past week has been removed.
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The large carcass washed up on Wattamolla beach on September 17, attracting plenty of curious locals, tourists and hungry sharks.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service took advantage of the high tide on Wednesday morning and used a tug boat to take it out to sea.
The carcass – estimated to weight 40 tonnes – was released 20 nautical miles offshore, where it is expected to continue its rapid decomposition.
It was previously lodged on nearby rocks before floating free and washing onto the beach.
“The location of the carcass made alternate options for removing it by other means unviable,” a National Parks spokesperson said.
The Wattamolla Visitor Precinct is open, but the beach remains temporarily closed for swimming.
Volunteer marine mammal rescue group ORRCA has not confirmed the species but believe it to be a sei whale.
Last week, a paddleboarder was “stalked” by a shark while trying to get a closer look at the dead whale.
Ben Reid, from Bundeena, used his GoPro to capture footage of a large shark circling the mammal’s large, lifeless body on Thursday afternoon.
The emergence of Mr Reid’s videos came after two Sydney brothers filmed themselves swimming near the carcass at the weekend.
