A humpback whale nearly crushed two kayakers
(Picture: AFP/Getty Images)Two whale watchers narrowly escaped being swallowed by a humpback whale as they kayaked off the Californian coast in an incredible incident caught on camera.
Julie McSorley and Liz Cottriel were watching the humpback whales feed off the coast of Avila Beach when one burst up from underneath them and threw them into the air.
The pair filmed themselves being sent underwater while other footage made it appear as though they were swallowed whole as they got too close to the feeding mammals.
"I saw the big pool of fish, the big bait ball come up out of the water," Ms McSorley told CNN. "I saw the whale come up. I thought, 'Oh, no! It's too close.'
"All of a sudden, I lifted up, and I was in the water.
"The whale was right here in my face, literally," Ms Cottriel added.
"I'm thinking to myself, 'I'm gonna push. Like, I'm gonna push a whale out of the way! It was the weirdest thought. I'm thinking, 'I'm dead. I'm dead.' I thought it was gonna land on me. Next thing I know, I'm underwater."
The two were plunged underwater after capsizing before re-emerging unscathed. The only casualty was a set of car keys.
The pair said they would go back into the water but were hesitant to return to whale watching.
"We got back to the car, I was shaking my shirt and a bunch of fish came out of my shirt," Ms Cottriel said.
Humpback whales feed on krill (small shrimp-like crustaceans) and small fishes by straining huge volumes of ocean water through their plates.
