While many of us are fascinated by images and videos of whales, it is rare we get a close up view of the magnificent creatures.
However, a viral video from Imgur has shown us just that as a whale makes a shocking appearance from the ocean.
In the video, the user is recording a glittering dark blue sea, on what looks like a fairly windy time of day.
In the background, we can see the mountainous coastline falling up and down, mirroring the unsteadiness of the environment.
The camera person themselves seem to be rising and falling, and is clearly taking the video from a boat on the sea.
We see the waves fall up and down, but do not seem to be disturbed by anything other than a strong breeze.
However, the video takes a surprising turn as the camera pans to the left, and we see a gigantic whale leaping up from the sea.
It jumps into the sky, water flying everywhere, its flying body reaching up metres above the water below.
Then, as fast as it came upwards, the whale turns in the air and belly flops down on to the water surface.
As it strikes the water, it makes a huge splash high into the air, pushing up a towering wave of foamy white water.
For an instant, we get a flash of a small boat’s sail and mast as the video maker loses control, before the video goes black.
We then see a struggle below the water as the passenger is overturned, before it emerges again above the water.
Recently, Imgur user AnotheroneSummer posted drone footage of a huge humpback whale leaping out of the ocean.
At first, just the characteristic pointed nose of the whale peeps out from above the water surface, hinting at the presence below.
The whale leaps out, splashing water around it in every single direction and it moves.
Since the drone was hovering above the water, rather than capturing from a boat, it was able to take the jaw dropping footage without any interruptions.
