It is the type of "mugging" whale watchers hope for on a sightseeing holiday.

But it turns out a pod of humpback whales that occasionally surround tourist boats could be just as interested in people watching.

Wally Franklin has been studying the behaviour of humpback whales in Hervey Bay since the 1980s. (ABC Wide Bay: Olivia Nunes-Malek)

"They've come to understand these boats are not a threat," said marine scientist Wally Franklin of the mugging interactions.

"They're quite intrigued with the stick-like creatures aboard that wave and shout at them."

Tourism operators on Queensland's Fraser Coast have just farewelled a bumper whale watching season with the east coast's humpback population now estimated to be as high as 50,000.

Early muggings

A mugging is a unique behaviour where humpback whales encircle and interact with people aboard a vessel.

Dr Franklin, the managing director of research organisation The Oceania Project, said in the 1970s he noticed that whales did not normally engage with boats like they did in Hervey Bay.

When comparing the experiences across locations, roughly a decade after the species was almost hunted to extinction, he made a surprising discovery.

"Fourteen per cent of pods in Hervey Bay would come towards the vessels and engage in these muggings," he said.

Whale muggings are most likely to occur between July and October during their annual migration to Antarctica. (ABC Wide Bay: Ross Kay)

The humpback whale migration along Australia's east coast from Antarctica to warmer northern waters usually runs between May and November.

Dr Franklin said muggings are most common between July and October.

He said juvenile whales, aged between one and six, had a higher chance of engaging in muggings during the earlier half of the season.

During the latter half of the season, mature females and their new calves are more likely to be seen mugging.

Dr Franklin said interactions with boats as a young calf could make whales feel more comfortable once they reached maturity.

"[The interactions are] important for both the physical and social development of the individual whales," he said.

Learned behaviour

Griffith University whale researcher Olaf Meynecke said he was not sure who first called the behaviour "mugging", but the phrase has grown in popularity.