This is the incredible moment a humpback whale narrowly avoids swatting a swimmer with its tale by two inches.
Christopher Hokkanen, 39, was swimming with a family of humpback whales near the water’s surface and caught the heart-stopping moment with an underwater camera.
The underwater videographer captured the fantastic underwater scenes of what appears to be a calf with its mum gliding through the water off the Island of Eua in Tonga.
In the opening scene, the larger whale can be seen almost too close for comfort as the smaller one swims just above it.
The large mammal is turning away from Christopher to swim off when its massive tail suddenly comes in the frame.
The camera frame shake as the whale's tail swats down to propel itself through the water just inches away from Christopher.
Bravely, Christopher continued to film the humpback whales after the heart-stopping encounter.
The footage also shows the smaller whale appearing to be playful by swimming around the larger one.
In another stunning scene, the whales are seen breaching and briefly coming above water to breathe before diving down.
The whales then disappear into the abyss of the wide-open Pacific Ocean.
In December, fisherman Andrew 'Jammy' Robinson filmed the frisky humpback as it tried to attract a female in an extremely rare sighting off the coast of Cornwall.
The breathtaking ‘hey girls, look at me’ clip went viral on social media after the Moby Dick was spotted slapping the water with its fins in Falmouth Bay.
Boat tour company AK Wildlife Cruises commented how the whale's behaviour is believed to be used to attract a mate.
A spokesperson said: "We’re out of the water for the next few months, but local fishermen Andrew ‘Jammy’ Robinson filmed this amazing footage of a humpback whale just two miles offshore last Wednesday.
"The whale was estimated to be about 40 to 50ft in length as a full-grown adult humpback and can be seen repeatedly pec slapping in this video.
"This behaviour is believed to be used to attract mates and Andrew may have seen another blow from a whale in the distance so there could have been another out there."
Humpbacks are extremely rare in Cornwall but can be spotted there during the winter months, the company added.
Humpback whales are found in every ocean around the world, according to National Geographic.
They can grow up to 16 feet long. Humpback whales get their name from the small hump in front of their dorsal fins.
Humpbacks are migratory animals and breed close to the Equator, feeding on shrimp-like krill, plankton and small fish along the way.
Calves swim very close to the mother and do stop growing for 10 years.
These magnificent mammals are also known for singing, which consists of sequences of moans, howls and cries.
Scientists study these songs, which can last hours, to understand more about how they communicate with each other.
