Whales surprise Australian surfers in striking drone footage
A pair of whales recently surprised a group of surfers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Whale, hello there.
A whale and her calf recently surprised a group of surfers trying to catch a wave in Australia, swimming up near the shore to say hello.
The stunning footage was captured by drone by Thom Van Mil, who rushed to Manly Beach, in New South Wales, after receiving word that the massive mammals were nearby, South West News Service (SWNS) reported.
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“We kind of live on the beach and received a phone call that some whales came very close. So I grabbed my drone and ran to the beach where it all happened,” Van Mil explained.
On Instagram, the 29-year-old man identified the creatures as Southern Right Whales, with the adult female possibly measuring as much as 55-feet long.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Watching the incredible interaction on his phone in real-time, Thom Van Mil said he instantly knew the surfing surprise was “something special.” (SWNS)
"There were loads of surfers close to the whales and it looked like the calf wanted to play with the surfers,” he recalled.
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"There were loads of surfers close to the whales and it looked like the calf wanted to play with the surfers." (SWNS)
“We thought the mother became a bit nervous and swum towards the surfer and hit a few of them with her tail. There was even a diver who sat on the back of the whale,” he claimed. “In our opinion they all came too close to the whales and especially the diver shouldn't have try to come so close. But hey, what would you do?”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Watching the incredible interaction on his phone in real time, Van Mil said he instantly knew the surfing surprise was “something special.”
“Especially in our home country it was a big thing,” Van Mil, pictured with his partner Lianne, said of the overnight hype. (SWNS)
The story has made waves across the world, he said, even reaching the Netherlands, where he and his partner Lianne are from.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Especially in our home country it was a big thing,” Van Mil said of the overnight hype. “Right now to be honest, we are very proud of the footage we have.”