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THIS is the jaw-dropping moment a swimmer is chucked into the air by the ginormous tail of a humpback whale.
The snorkeler got the once-in-a-lifetime experience with the massive creature on the Australian Gold Coast that left onlookers baffled.
Nine News
The snorkeler was slapped by the creature’s tailNine News
Other snorkelers couldn’t believe their eyesNine NewsYouTuber’s Max Persyn and Jacqueline Payne were snorkelling in the sea in a tour group when they captured an unbelievable moment between one snorkeler and the gentle giant.
Footage from the pair show a group of several snorkelers in the sea hoping to catch a glimpse of humpback whales.
Then a man in the group is seen in the clip being launched into the air by the creature’s tail that’s said to be the unbelievable size of a bus.
The snorkeler is out the water for a matter of seconds as his fellow divers watch on in amazement.
In sheer disbelief, members of the group are heard saying: “He was on the whale!”
Jacqueline films herself moments after witnessing the incredible interaction in shock.
She says on the vlog: “All of a sudden someone was in the air on top of a freaking whale.”
The pair told 9News how the group were watching three whales but keeping a close eye on one of them.
Jacqueline said: “All of a sudden there was commotion behind us and we turned around and someone was up on top of the tail of a whale.”
The man that got flipped by the whale was one of the tour guides who escaped uninjured from the unbelievable experience.
Max, who also saw the guide get flipped off the whale, said: “This was the first time this had happened to him but he was very ecstatic about it.”
Nine News
Nine NewsIn a similar tale a humpback whale slammed down onto an oblivious surfer after leaping out of the water.
When Jason Breen was riding his wing foil along the Sydney coast he was none the wiser of the terrifying encounter that was about to unfold.
But just seconds later, footage captured on Jason’s go-pro shows a gigantic whale calf emerge from the ocean, just metres from his board.
The 55-year-old can be heard screaming in fear as the massive mammal bursts from the water and flies into the air.
“I saw the head come out, then I saw the body come out and then I saw the whole thing above me,” Jason told Seven News.
The video shows turbulent water following the whale’s touchdown and the shocked Aussie can be seen clambering back onto his board unscathed.
The animal then swims away and a shaken-up Jason shouts “I just got hit by a whale.”
After the impact the mammal became tangled in his leg rope and Jason said he thought “it was all over” as he was dragged “20 or 30 feet under”.
But he then felt the rope snap and thought “Thank God” as he floated up to the surface.
The beach-goer said he was so close to the whale that he could feel its skin against his.
Humpback Whales: Fast Facts
Despite their massive size, humpback whales are not predatory and are typically gentle and peaceful towards humans.
- Humpback whales can grow up to 60 feet long
- They can reach weights of 80,000+ pounds
- Male humpback whales create and “sing” songs that can be heard 20+ miles away
- Humpback whales can eat up to 3,000 pounds of food per day, including small fish and krill
- These whales have some of the longest migrations of any mammal, traveling 3,000+ miles in just over a month
- Humpback whale tails can reach 18 feet in width
- They are named for their distinctive hump on their backs, however, the scientific name for these whales, Megaptera, translates to “big-winged”
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