Dead humpback whale washes ashore at popular beach

Beachgoers have been dismayed by a dead whale washing up at a popular surfing spot, before an early morning removal.

About 70 people gathered as the juvenile female measuring almost seven metres floated between Sunshine Coast's Point Cartwright and Mudjimba late on Tuesday.

The humpback whale washed ashore between Alexandra Headland and Maroochydore, remaining there overnight in an exclusion zone as authorities waited for high tide to remove it.

"When it came ashore it was already dead so it was not in distress," Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli told AAP.

It was towed out about 20 nautical miles from shore about 5.30am on Wednesday.

"It is extremely sad when you see a majestic animal like this washed up ashore," Cr Natoli said.

"So it was really important that we were able to carefully and respectfully remove the whale out to sea before first light when the high tide came up."

Samples were taken from the whale in a bid to determine its cause of death and it was tested for bird flu.

The whale was also fitted with a GPS tracker to monitor its movements in case authorities had to intervene if it drifted back to the coast.

Data collected would help the future management of carcasses, Cr Natoli said.

"We managed the situation carefully and people helped us by staying a safe distance away - it helped make it a smooth operation."