{"id":276522,"date":"2025-11-11T14:56:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T14:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/276522\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T14:56:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T14:56:13","slug":"aussie-overwhelmed-after-incredible-30-second-encounter-off-remote-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/276522\/","title":{"rendered":"Aussie \u2018overwhelmed\u2019 after incredible 30-second encounter off remote coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

A snorkeller in Western Australia<\/a> has had the experience of a lifetime after ‘holding hands’ with a humpback whale calf<\/a> off the coast of the Kimberleys. The mesmerising scene was captured on camera, showing the moment the curious calf swam right to him and playfully rolled over.<\/p>\n

For Ricky Harris, it wasn’t his first time swimming with whales but it was the first time he’s held hands with one. He told Yahoo News he was “eye-to eye” with the baby, and felt like time slowed down while he was in their presence.<\/p>\n

Swimmers must keep a distance of 100 metres away from whales in Western Australia, and while Ricky recognises that he was too close, he said the calf was incredibly inquisitive<\/a> and actually swam underneath its mother to get a closer look at him.<\/p>\n

“I agree with not approaching them, I think that is a good thing,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Initially, it was on the other side of the mum, and then it seemed to get a little bit of interest in what I was up to. So it swam under the mum, and then just came up right next to me.”<\/p>\n

Have you had an incredible animal encounter? Email kpalu@yahooinc.com<\/p>\n

The close interaction with the baby lasted about 30 seconds, with the mum and calf vocalising to each other the whole time.<\/p>\n

“When you’re right next to them, it’s really, really loud,” he said, adding the volume was “quite overwhelming”.<\/p>\n

Ricky’s partner, Margie Dizon, filmed the encounter from their boat while they were exploring the Kimberleys in late July.<\/p>\n

She said the boat’s engine and all electronics were turned off to support a calm environment around the whales, and they really weren’t expecting to have such a “magical” experience.<\/p>\n

“The magic just happens so randomly when you least expect it to happen,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"Left:Left: Ricky smiling from ear-to-ear after the experience. Right: Margie filmed the encounter on her phone. Source: Hooked on Wild Ventures<\/a><\/p>\n

Ricky and Margie, from Darwin, spend months at a time exploring remote parts of Australia on their boat and previously visited the Montebello Islands<\/a>, an isolated chain of islands off the Western Australian coast.<\/p>\n

The islands were the site of three nuclear weapons tests by the British military in the 1950s.<\/p>\n

To see more of Ricky and Margie’s adventures, check out their YouTube<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> pages.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can also follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>