Stunning close encounter with humpback whales

A group of visitors to Antarctica filmed this incredibly close encounter with some humpback whales.

The video, which was captured in February, shows the marine mammals surfacing inches from the tourists but taking great care not to rock their small inflatable boat.

"Several times the whales came so close I had to remove my GoPro from the water for fear of touching them,'" the filmer said.

"Despite their size and proximity they never once touched or disturbed our boat," the filmer added.

Humpback whales appear to be thriving in Antarctica.

A report published in the journal Royal Society Open Science this month says that humpbacks who live and breed in the southern oceans near Antarctica are making a comeback, with females in recent years having a high pregnancy rate and giving birth to more calves.

Humpback whales were almost hunted out of existence in the 19th and 20th centuries.