A Port Macquarie photographer says capturing vision of a tightly packed pod of 11 whales off the NSW mid-north coast was "something special".

Drone operator Alex McNaught was tipped off by veteran whale spotter Leigh Mansfield on Monday.

He launched a drone off Rocky Beach and then Tacking Point, filming a large whale pod heading south at speed in a tight formation.

"My guess would be in something like a mating pursuit, [as] that's when you see a group of males put on a burst of speed," Mr McNaught said.

"You could see them churning the water, there were many puffs, as they were breathing hard and moving fast.

"I had a difficult time counting them at first, because my [drone camera] screen was absolutely full of whales."

For the past 20 years, Mr Mansfield has worked as a whale spott

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