Most countries have laws that prohibit humans from getting close to whales in order to protect these magnificent sea creatures. However, this is not stopping whales from occasionally approaching humans, as one couple from Argentina recently discovered during what they thought will be a quiet day at the sea.
TikToker Paolo Osta and his girlfriend Mariana Gioielli were recently paddleboarding off the shores of Puerto Madryn when they got an unexpected company. Three southern right whales decided to get closer to the couple and say hello.
Gioielli managed to capture the encounter on camera, with the video being later shared by Osta on his TikTok. The clip, which received more than 80 million views, shows whales getting dangerously close to the couple while doing their water dance.
Osta and Gioielli seemed quite impressed with the sight but also quite nervous about being close to such big and powerful animals. At one point, the whales decide to back off a bit, which Osta uses as an opportunity to start paddling back to the land.
After the original video of Osta and Gioielli’s whale encounter went viral, Osta decided to share more footage. And it’s equally impressive and terrifying.