An awesome video has emerged of a mother grey whale and her calf swimming near a boat off the coast of Newport Beach, California.

The aerial footage, shot on Sunday in the USA, captures the moment the calf approaches the boat while his mother follows him carefully before they swim underneath it.

People on board the boat watch in awe as the incredible scene unfolds.

"Gray whales are migrating South from Alaska to Mexico right now and this is just the start of their passing through this area and they will be showing up more and more over the next several months," the filmer, Mark Girardeau, wrote online.

"When the whales changed direction straight towards our boat, Captain Taylor Thorne shut off the engine for safety and to not disturb the animals. It was such an incredible experience!" he added.

Today aboard Newport Coastal Adventure, we encountered a mom and baby calf that was likely less than 2 days old, the baby was curious and checked out our boat and the mom followed to guide the calf back on course. This was shot by me today off the coast of Laguna Beach in Orange County. Gray whales are migrating South from Alaska to Mexico right now and this is just the start of their passing through this area and they will be showing up more and more over the next several months. When the whales changed direction straight towards our boat, Captain Taylor Thorne shut off the engine for safety and to not disturb the animals. It was such an incredible experience! The company has three vessels that each take six people out looking for marine life and touring the coastline. The first section of this video took place during a live stream to facebook which is where the audio is from.

Drone pilot: Mark Girardeau
Boat captain: Taylor Thorne
Company: Newport Coastal Adventure