A humpback whale threw a guide into the air off the coast of Australia (4 photos + 1 video)
The "Swimming with Whales" tour off the coast of Southport, Australia, was truly spectacular. A 30-ton humpback whale tossed the guide in front of the amazed tourists. 
After seeing three whales, the tour group and their guide jumped into the water.
Max Persin and Jacqueline Payne were filming and shared their impressions.
"The whales swam around us for about 20 minutes. We didn't expect them to come so close to us. Our guide said they're rarely so curious," Payne says.
While the tourists were admiring the marine life, shouts from the boat made them look back.
Persin recalls: "There was a commotion, we saw our guide flying over the whale."
The giant mammal lifted the guide to a height of about one meter. And then threw him back into the ocean with its tail.
A tour guide on the tail of a 15-meter humpback whale
"It was a little scary. Everyone was shocked by what happened, the adrenaline was off the charts. When we made sure that everything was okay and it was not an act of aggression, we felt joy," Payne admits.
After that, the group hurried back on board.
It turned out that the rope that everyone was holding on to had caught the whale's tail. The animal jerked and could have knocked the tourist down, but the experienced guide pushed her away and got caught in the crossfire himself.
Max Persin and Jacqueline Payne have swum with sea lions and dived with sharks before
In all the years the couple has been documenting their adventures, this was one of the most memorable experiences.
"We've swum with sea lions and penguins and dived with sharks. But this was by far the closest you'll get to an animal. When you're in their territory, the interaction is 100% on their terms: they can swim away if they don't want to be around you, or they can hang around if they're interested."
