Guys! (By which we mean 'Kayakers!') You gotta stop getting so close to whales!
Actually: don't. Because the world of viral videos would be much poorer for it.
Yes, on the back (as it were) of this Norwegian kayaker who collided with a humpback whale and these kayakers being lifted out of the water by a whale comes this close encounter of the whale kind, which took place off the coast of California.
"While kayaking in Monterey Bay and watching a huge raft of sea lions that had come up right in front of us, a bus-sized humpback whale suddenly rose up out of the water only 10 feet from my boat. He was making a b-line toward me," explains Cimeron Morrissey. "He dove under my kayak, which was amazing and exhilarating! But then his back arched and came to the surface about 6 inches from my boat, which freaked me out a bit. I wondered: hmmm, maybe this one needs contact lenses? Then his enormous barnacle-encrusted tail came out of the water and was about 12 inches from my face, which pretty much made my eyes pop out of my head."
Check out the amazing moment above - and, understandably, be prepared for some slightly NSFW language. As Morrissey says: "Pardon my swearing in the video - I was rather stunned!"
(Via Daily Picks And Flicks)