Close call as lively whales surround boat

Two friends boating through a fjord in Norway have captured the moment six humpback whales suddenly emerged around them, narrowly avoiding their vessel.

Svein Aasjord and Trond Ivarsø were traveling in waters near Whale Island at the weekend when thousands of tiny rising bubbles alerted them to the herd, TV2 reports.

"They were almost like being in a glass of cola," Mr Aasjord later recalled.

But the pair knew very well what the bubbles meant – as countless herring shoals preparing to breach the surface emptied their lungs.

Footage shows the men laughing nervously as the clouds of air become more frequent, then comes the whales.

"Oh, bloody hell!" Mr Ivarsø exclaims, continuing to film as the giant mammals one-by-one rolled out from beneath the boat.

Then as quickly as the herd appeared, the sea became quiet again as the whales swam off into the distance.

Author: Chloe Ross, Approving editor: Simon Black
Source: TV2