Humpback whale splashes Sydney tourists

This is the spectacular moment a humpback whale breached high into the air just metres from a boat full of tourists.

Twelve whales were breaching off Sydney's northern beaches while swimming up Australia's east coast on their annual northern migration.

Whale watcher John Goodridge photographed the extraordinary moment from another boat 500m away.

"It was pretty amusing for me but probably not for them," he said.

"The splash from the whale re-entering the water freaked them out because their boat bobbed about like a little cork."

Thousands of humpbacks and southern right whales are heading north to spend winter off Queensland. The majestic mammals return to the Antarctic from September to November.

"Generally on these trips the whales do get curious about the boats but very rarely do they breach so closely," Goodridge told the BBC.