A spectacular video has emerged from French Polynesia of a humpback whale leaping out of the water just a few feet away from some snorkelers.

The rare perspective was captured close to the tiny isand of Mo'orea on October 5.

"We spotted a humpback whale that was apparently sleeping," the filmer wrote online.

"So we jumped in the water and watched it with our masks and snorkels. Suddenly it bent its whole body and started to swim to the surface very quickly and breached through the high waves directly next to us," he added.

We were whale watching in the island of Mo'orea (French Polynesia) and spotted a humpback whale that was apparently sleeping. So we jumped in the water and watched it with our masks and snorkels. The waves were very big that day so it wasn't easy to swim. The whale slowly started to swim and wasn't doing much for quite some time. Suddenly it bend the whole body and started to swim to the surface very quickly and breached through the high waves directly next to us. I tried to keep on the surface to get the second jump but wasn't able as the waves pushed me down.