This is the breathtaking moment a pod of dolphins swam alongside a boat of tourists.

Tananan Ruannark and her sister saw the false killer whales as they navigated the ocean off the coast of Surat Thani, Thailand.

Footage shows the sea creatures breaching on August 30. The stunned vacationers can be heard cheering as they watch.

Tananan said: 'We thought they were dolphins, but to our surprise, it was a pod of false killer whales—dozens of them swimming majestically through the water.

'That initial feeling of ‘it's just dolphins' completely vanished, replaced by an overwhelming sense of luck and excitement. It was, without a doubt, one of the most rewarding last-minute decisions of my life.'

False killer whales are a species of oceanic dolphin that resembles killer whales in appearance. They are highly social animals, often forming pods of up to 50 members. They can also form pods with other dolphin species, such as the common bottlenose dolphin.

The false killer whale is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List and is protected under various international agreements.