B.C. kayakers treated to 'exhilarating' humpback whale breach captured on video

A group of kayakers were treated to an extreme close-up with a small pod of humpback whalesoff B.C.'s South Coast last week.

"There's not a whole lot you can do when the humpbacksdecidethey're going to move," said Heather Lawrence, who filmed part of the video capturing the encounter.

"Luckily it all went well and we had a huge thrill."

Lawrence didn't think the five-day expedition to the Discovery Islands near Campbell River with Wildcoast Adventures could get any better until it did.

The trip had already presented the group with amazing vistas and a plethora of wildlife.Just the day before, they had encountered a pod of 30 dolphinsfeeding, jumping, and swimming beneath them.

Up close and personal

On the third day, the guidesheard there was afemale humpback whale with a calf and another adult nearby at the Penn Islands, so the group paddled over to see them.

The kayakers were watching the trio of whales from the required distance,until the whalesslipped beneath the calm surface of the water.

"We thought theyweregone," Lawrence said. "And that's when they really set off a show."

"The baby jumped, and that was like, 'Wow, that's amazing.' But then the mom came up right away and she's humongous compared to baby."

"When she landed I was really hoping she was going to land far away from me."

'She takes up the whole view'

Lawrence saidthe video she captured was taken with a telephoto lens, so the whale isn't quite as close as she appears. Still, by time the whalebreached, she was only about 10 metres away.

"It was reallyexhilarating. She's huge and that's all that you're seeing. She takes up the whole view," Lawrence said.

"There's not a lot going on in your mind.You'rejust thinking,'Holycow, Ican't believe I'm seeing this,' and then you think, 'Oh, Ihope Ican get out of here safely.'"

Lawrence said as soon as the female humpback breached, she dropped her camera and paddled backwards as the guides yelled at them to do.

She said the experience was "absolutely the highlight" of the trip.