Rare whales, dolphins and even leatherback turtles show up on east coast beaches

Jools Farrell, vice president of marine mammal rescue organisation ORRCA, said the team had received a much greater number of calls for beached animals on the South Coast this year.

"All of a sudden we're seeing these creatures we don't usually see," Ms Farrell said.

"We've definitely seen an increase," she said.

The group have been called to attend a beached false killer whale, dolphins, dwarf pygmy sperm whale and even a sperm whale calf last week near Jervis Bay.

"Since the beginning of the year, we've had some quite rare beached whales," she said.

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"Lots of dolphins, even some playing in sea pools."

Ms Farrell said it's likely the animals had been washed into the pools by big swells.

The sperm whale calf that was beached at Hyams Beach last week sadly died, as it was not old enough to survive the sea on its own.

"We couldn't find mum anywhere - it didn't make it because it was so young and dependent on mum," she said.

Ms Farrell said that if members of the public find beached animals, they can call ORRCA's rescue line and rescue-trained members will attend.

"The sooner a member of the public calls, the better chance that animal has of survival," she said.

Unfortunately, beached whales and other mammals have a low rate of survival as they are often too young, old or sick to survive in the ocean, Ms Farrell said.

"A lot of the times when these marine animals do strand, they strand for a reason," she said.

She urged the public not to attempt to put animals back in the water themselves.

Ms Farrell also said Illawarra residents may see more seals around our coastline as they migrate.

Jen Bean from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service said beach goers should give seals as much space as they can.

"We often see more seals around April as its moulting time. Seals may rest for longer periods on shore when shedding their old fur and replacing it with a shiny, new coat," Ms Bean said.

"While most hauled out seals return to the water after a few hours or days, some do stay a little longer, like the resident seal at Windang," she said.

"Even though he is a regular sight on the shoreline, it is extremely important that people give all seals space."

Ms Bean urged residents to keep at least 40 metres away from adult seals.

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