Wild moment snorkeller launched into air by whale

Footage has captured the wild moment a whale launched a man into the air after he found himself in the path of the animal’s tail.

Footage has captured the wild moment a whale launched a male into the air after he found himself in the path of the animal’s tail.

Max Persyn and Jacqueline Payne, a pair of Youtubers from Queensland, were part of an Aqua Adventures whale watching group, snorkelling off Southport on the Gold Coast when they captured the gentle giant’s unexpected act.

“It got wild,” Ms Payne told Nine News.

They were surrounded by three whales and were keeping an eye on one beneath them but suddenly their tour guide got launched in the air by a 15m humpback whale.

Jacqueline Payne and Max Persyn were snorkelling off Southport on the Gold Coast when they captured the gentle giant’s unexpected act. Picture: YouTube/Max and Jacqueline

“This was the first time this had happened to him but he was very ecstatic about it,” Mr Persyn said, adding he escaped unharmed.

The pair who managed to capture the moment on their GoPro shared the footage to their YouTube channel, and on it another guide could be heard telling the group to quickly get back on the boat.

A 15-metre humpback whale launched one of their tour guide’s in the air. Picture: YouTube/Max and Jacqueline

The pair were left shocked by the encounter. Picture: YouTube/Max and Jacqueline

“Oh My God seriously what just happened,” a shocked Ms Payne said once she made it back on the boat.

“All of a sudden someone was in the air on top of the freaking whale. That was crazy, that was the most insane thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

The pair said the three fully grown humpback whales we’re incredibly curious and swimming extremely close to the group.

“Then all of a sudden our guide from Aqua Adventures was lifted out of the water by the tail of one of the humpbacks, we could not believe we got hit by whale.”

“We think the rope we were hanging onto touched the whales tale and just like we would flick away an unfamiliar touch, so did the whale, there just happened to be human above him.”

The couple described it as the “most incredible encounter” and thanked the tour company for the experience.