This is the amazing moment a man met a 30-foot whale surfacing above the water just metres away from his kayak off the British coast.

Rupert Kirkwood spotted the minke whale while out searching for wildlife off the Cornish coast.

The wildlife enthusiast said he had initially heard the blow of a whale about a mile away, and after setting off in pursuit he witnessed the great mammal up-close.

Describing the encounter on August 3, he said: “It sent shivers down my spine.

"It was an exceptionally calm day.

“I go out looking for whales in my kayak all the time, but I’d been padding for three or four hours enjoying the many dolphins on show.

“I stopped for cup of coffee but the heard in excess a mile way the blow of a whale, so I set off in pursuit.

“I eventually gave up and paddled a bit longer in the hope I’d come across it again.

“And to my amazement I saw it at a distance blowing, then it came within a few feet of my kayak.

“I got my camera out and captured some rather impressive video clips. It must have been interested in what I was doing.”

Rupert said minke whales are not uncommon around the Devon and Cornwall coast - but is still impressed with his encounter just five miles off the Penzance shore.

“A minke whale is pretty exciting to see from my little kayak,” he said.

“I don’t think anyone got that close to a minke.

“Because it was such a calm day it was absolutely silent. All I could hear was distance dolphins splashing.

“Then you hear the great blast of a whale – which I think is the greatest sound in the animal kingdom.”

This video was filmed on August 3.