A woman in Oceanside, California captured a rare and incredible moment on camera on Sunday when a whale breached and narrowly missed hitting a paddle boarder.
The video shows the whale jump out of the water and land just metres from the paddler, as onlookers could be heard reacting to the close call.
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“Holy cow,” one woman can be heard saying after witnessing the encounter.
“That paddle boarders like, ‘Maybe this isn’t the best idea,’” the woman laughingly suggests.
It’s not the first time whales and water sports have combined for a memorable moment.
In August, a B.C. woman was paddling near Vancouver’s Stanley Park, when a grey whale gave her a shock.
WATCH: Close encounter with whale near Stanley Park
“It was one of those things that I always wanted to see,” said René Erdman who was paddling in Burrard Inlet where the grey whale was spotted.
“My heart just started racing and I started tearing up because it was so surreal.”
In May, a New Zealand man came face to face with a curious Orca, and captured video of the killer whale nibbling on his board.
WATCH: Orca whale nibbles on man’s paddle board
“He popped up about 10cm away from the back of my board,” said Luke Reilly who caught the playful whale on camera.
“I was a bit nervous thinking, ‘what’s this guy going to do?’”
Seconds later the Orca could be seen escaping into the depths of the ocean.