A couple of women out kayaking came dangerously close to being swallowed whole by a humpback whale.
Julie McSorley and Liz Cottriel were out whale watching in a kayak at Avila Beach in California yesterday afternoon (2 November), when the whale managed to scoop up their boat.
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Footage caught by a fellow whale watcher shows the dramatic moment they were tipped dangerously close to the whale's open jaws before managing to escape. Yikes.
Speaking to Fox 26 News, McSorley said: "I saw the big pool of fish, the big bait ball come up out of the water. I saw the whale come up.
"I thought, 'Oh no! It's too close."
She added: "All of a sudden, I lifted up, and I was in the water."
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Pal Liz said: "I'm thinking to myself, 'I'm going to push.' Like, I'm gonna push a whale out of the way! It was the weirdest thought.
"I'm thinking, 'I'm dead. I'm dead.' I thought it was going to land on me.
"Next thing I know, I'm under water."
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Well, that sounds bloody terrifying.
Miraculously the pair were unharmed in the incident, but McSorely did lose her car keys - a small price to pay when you consider how it might have ended.
The women even managed to retrieve their kayak and ride it back to the beach.
Liz added: "We got back to the car, I was shaking my shirt and a bunch of fish came out of my shirt."
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"I was infatuated by them and in awe. But I never expected one to be right here, in my face!"
Earlier this year, a whale watcher from Ireland ended up in the sea after a minkie whale bashed his boat, sending him crashing into the water.
Cris Lane, from Cork, was out at sea off Courtmacsherry, fishing and doing a bit of whale watching when the minke headed for the boat and whacked right into the side of it.
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Poor Cris ended up being chucked into the water - but was thankfully wearing a life jacket, so is no worse for wear after the experience, saying the main injury he sustained was a 'bruised ego'.
Featured Image Credit: Kellie Balentine via TMX.newsTopics: US News, Whale, Animals