Swimmers should have given this whale a little bit more space

We sincerely hope these people took advantage of saying they had a "whale of a time" when asked about their trip to the beach on Wednesday.

Otherwise this is a huge and devastating missed opportunity.

What you're looking at here is a southern right whale hanging out very close to the shore in Tasmania, having a splash on the surface the River Derwent in Hobart.

The massive marine mammal was the centre of attention for beachgoers, who stopped to take in the wonder of its sheer size and majesty.

Most people were happy to have a gander at the endangered whale from the shore, but then there were a few who dared to hop in the water with it.

And we understand wanting to have a spiritual oceanic experience and perhaps even an uplifting aquatic epiphany, but you just can't go around swimming with whales.

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There's a difference between looking from a safe distance and going up and getting all up in its grills..

[Via NBC]

We mean, that's a wild animal.

And it's not a little one.

Wildlife biologist Kris Carlyon told Tasmania Win News reporter Georgia Westgarth the whale could weigh as much as 70 tonnes or "30 plus small cars".

"It's a large animal, it's unpredictable," he said.

"Southern right whales have been known to be aggressive if disturbed."

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Getting too close violates national guidelines for whale and dolphin watching, and kind of makes you a bit of a jerk for stressing out the poor things by invading their personal space.

[Via E!]

If you're in a canoe, kayak or on something like a paddle board, guidelines say you need to keep a distance of 100m from the side of a whale.

The distance jumps to 300m if you're in front or behind the whale, and you're defs not allowed to follow them from directly behind.

If you're swimming alongside a whale or a dolphin, you're required to give them 30m of space.

So maybe don't go all Ocean Girl next time you see a whale, hey?