INCREDIBLE footage shows the moment stunned beachgoers had a close encounter with a baby whale that popped up for a swim right next to them.
The curious creature slipped past numerous bathers as it swam up to the shore of La Antilla Beach, near the Spanish town of Lepe, Huelva on Tuesday.
One unnamed tourist managed to capture the surprise visitor which seemed very interested in the bathers, inquisitively swimming around them for a few minutes.
In the video, the whale can be seen gliding right past a tiny vessel stacked with people and between kayakers.
Its presence quickly catches everyone’s attention as a large crowd immediately gathers to take a closer look at the animal.
Women and children can be heard excitedly screaming at the astonishing sight as the creature swims around in the shallow end.
Beachgoers quickly whip out their phones to film the mesmerizing visitor as the curious calf swirls nearby and splashes water.
It reportedly stayed there for a few more minutes before leaving on its own and without any incident.
Whilst some were worried at first, thinking it may have been an orca lurking by the shore. local police later reassured punters that it was a small beaked whale that likely drifted towards the beach.
The video was shared to social media yesterday, with the caption: “An orca approaches the shore and swims next to the bathers who were on a beach in Huelva.”
The clip has since received over 340 likes and dozens of comments from shocked users.
One user commented: “Those who calmly approach the shore to record videos thinking it was a killer whale have not seen much of them and how the orcas hunt seals.”
Another wrote: “They should pay the whale to entertain beachgoers bored with the smell of cream and churrasco meat. They now have their summer attraction.”
And a third said: “If I ever come across an orca on a beach in Huelva I’m never going back there again.”
The Lepe Police added in a short statement: “It is not a shark nor are you going to see Steven Spielberg on the shore with his camera (…) nor is it an orca.
“The animal which has visited us seems to be a Cuvier’s beaked whale calf, it holds the record for being the species that swims the deepest but is very sensitive to sonar.
“It was probably disoriented and almost got stranded .”
