This kayaker had an amazing up-close experience with a huge whale off the coast of Sydney, Australia.

The clip, filmed on June 19, shows Tristan observing the whales before one sneaks up on him and breaches right in front of his kayak.

Tristan explained to Newsflare: "It’s a crazy feeling being four kilometres offshore on a floating piece of plastic and having 30-tonne animals dropping bombs around you.

"I'm a sea kayaker who has been taking photos of whales on their annual migration over the last couple of years in New South Wales, Australia. While I am trying to keep my distance from them as per the law, sometimes they sneak up a bit closer than you were expecting.

"It’s peak whale time now in Sydney, there have been heaps on the move that last couple of days. This one was around 1.5 kilometres off Maroubra beach this morning."

It’s a crazy feeling being four kays offshore on a floating piece of plastic and having 30 tonne animals dropping bombs around you.

I'm a sea kayaker who has been taking photos of whales on their annual migration over the last couple of years in New South Wales Australia. While I am trying to keep my distance from them as per the law, sometimes they sneak up a bit closer than you were expecting.

Here are some of the close encounters and a few photos


It’s peak whale time now in Sydney, there have been heaps on the move that last couple of days. This one was around 1.5 kays off Maroubra beach this morning.