Father and son’s close encounter with giant whales off Irish coast

This is the “unreal” moment a father and son came face-to-face with a pod of gigantic humpback whales.

Terry and Tomas Deane were on their rib boat searching for the mammals about 15 miles northwest of Brandon, Co Kerry, when they came across the unforgettable scene.

And Terry captured spectacular footage of the moment one of the whales breached the water just a few feet away from their boat. WhaleTrack Ireland was given a tip-off by the pair, from Camp, Co Kerry, and arrived to shoot their own footage later that day on June 24.

Humpback Whale spotted off the Co Clare coast last week. (WHALE TRACK IRELAND)

In an incredible clip Tomas, 14, is leaning over the boat when one of the pod emerges from the sea, “towering” over the father and son. Experts believe whales poke their heads above water in order to get a better view, to communicate with other whales or to get rid of parasites. Terry said: “We had gone out on the longest day of the year with the intention of finding whales.

“We were observing three feeding for about an hour, but then they came over to the boat to check us out.

Humpback Whale spotted off the Co Clare coast last week. (WHALE TRACK IRELAND)

“Tomas was at the end of the rib filming underwater footage with a GoPro camera. But suddenly one of the humpbacks hopped out of the water. There he was just towering over him. It was unreal. We were shaking, not with fear but in awe.”

WhaleTrack Ireland is hoping to discover more in the area and have now deployed an acoustic device. The group is dedicated to the conservation and understanding of whales.