Whale interrupts presenter as he says he can't find any of the sea creatures in moment of spot-on comic timing

'You just jolly well can’t find them', he tells the camera

Zoologist Mark Carwardine points at the whale (BBC Earth Unplugged/YouTube)

A blue whale which popped out of the water as a nature show presenter said his crew couldn't spot any of the creatures, suggests that the mammals aren't just highly intelligent but might have impeccable comic timing too.

A clip of the moment shows zoologist Mark Carwardine explaining why it is difficult to find whales even in a hot-spot like Monterey Bay, and pinpoints their underwater lives and choppy water as the main reasons.

“We’ve spent all day since first light looking in one of the world’s great hotspots for blue whales – haven’t seen a thing!” he says.

“You know they’re here, you just jolly well can’t find them,” he adds as the whale blows a plume of water into the air. Carwardine then bursts into laughter.

The scene was taken from Big Blue Live, a new live programme which will be shot in Monterey Bay, California.

Each year, marine animals, including blue whales, humpback whales, elephant seals, dolphins, sea otters and great white sharks gather off the coast of Monterey Bay to their summer feeding grounds – often after enduring difficult migrations.