Heart-stopping footage captured the moment a tour guide was flung out of the water and into the air by a 30-tonne humpback whale.
The guide was among several staff that had been leading a ‘swim with whales’ excursion off the coast of Southport, on the Gold Coast, last week.
The group didn’t need to travel far before they came across a pod of three whales – with several tourists and the guide then jumping into the water.
Max Persyn and Jacqueline Payne were among the group sharing their excitement in a video posted to their YouTube channel.
‘The whales had been swimming around us constantly for about 20 minutes coming closer and closer,’ Ms Payne told Daily Mail Australia.
The tourists were all attached to a rope that was connected to the boat.
‘We didn’t expect them to get that close, but they were the most curious whales, our guide mentioned it’s quite rare for them to be so curious,’ Ms Payne said.
As the group marvelled at the whales swimming around them, screams from the boat alerted them to look behind them.
‘We heard the commotion and saw our guide was in the air on top of the whales tail,’ Mr Persyn said.
A tour guide was bucked out of the ocean by a whale last week on the Gold Coast, Queensland
A massive humpback whale could be seen lifting the guide about a metre into the air.
The whale then flicked him into the ocean with its tail.
‘It was a bit scary because we didn’t know at the time why it had happened,’ Ms Payne said.
‘From what I could tell everyone just had a lot of adrenaline and shock at what happened.
‘It was exciting once we realised everyone was safe and that it wasn’t an act of aggression.’
Tour staff then called all the tourists back to the boat.
When everyone was out of the water the snorkellers and staff high-fived and called the experience an ‘incredible encounter’.
Later, the Youtubers were told why the whale had launched their guide into the air.
‘The guide explained to us after the event that the whale tail was about to hit another swimmer, he pushed her away and the rope we were holding onto brushed the tail,’ Mr Payne said.
The chaotic footage shows the instructor on the tail of an estimated 15 metre humpback whale
Max Persyn and Jacqueline Payne said they’ve snorkelled with sea lions and scuba dived with sharks, but never so close
‘We guess the whale wanted to flick away that unfamiliar feeling like we might flick away a fly that landed on us.
‘So, I guess the guide saw it coming but was kind of helpless to do much.’
A staff member could be heard telling the tour group how lucky everyone was to see the majestic animals from so close.
‘For whales to be that interested in us and to come that close to us, obviously very close in the end, but most of the time they were just coming to a point where they were just a few metres away from us,’ one said in the clip.
The Youtubers said in their years recording adventures, this was one of the most memorable experiences.
‘We’ve been snorkelling with sea lions and penguins, scuba dived with sharks, but this is by far the closest any animal has gotten to us,’ Ms Payne said.
‘When you’re in their territory the interaction is 100% on their terms, they can swim away if they don’t want to be near you or hang around if they’re curious.’
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