Incredibly close whale encounter stirs emotions

A group of Southern California boaters on Sunday enjoyed a humpback whale encounter so intimate that at least one person was left crying in the moments afterward.

“She burst into happy tears for a solid couple of minutes,” Capt. Ryan Lawler, whose Pacific Offshore Expeditions conducted the expedition to an area south of Malibu, told For The Win Outdoors. “Tears were streaming down her face.”

The accompanying footage shows just how graceful humpback whales can be, despite their immense size, and how curious the mammals sometimes become toward humans. (Also see Instagram footage posted below, showing the passenger’s reaction.)

Passengers are in awe as the whale swims to within feet of the 30-foot inflatable boat, rolls over as if craving a belly rub, and lingers throughout the footage as if relishing the spotlight.

Woman laughs in disbelief after face-to-face whale greeting

“The encounter itself lasted a little more than an hour,” Lawler said. “But it brought a euphoria that lasted all day.”

Toward the end of the video clip, the whale surfaces with its head within touching range of a young woman, Delaney Trowbridge, who is capturing the encounter with her cell phone.

“He’s going to give you a kiss,” Lawler jests, a couple of times, as the whale inches almost to within smooching range.

Humpback whale rolls over as if craving belly rub

Finally, however, the whale sinks out of the picture and Trowbridge laughs in apparent disbelief. Laughter, Lawler said, soon followed by happy tears.

–Video and images are courtesy of Pacific Offshore Expeditions. Viewers can also check out underwater footage and drone footage of this encounter by clicking on the highlighted links.