A couple were left shocked after a huge humpback whale surfaced next to them in a small sea loch.
Ingrid Tomlinson and her husband Sean were astonished when the beast from the deep breached the surface in the tidal inlet.
The nature-loving pair had paddled out into the water in their kayak when the whale popped up to say hello.
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The breathtaking encounter took place in Loch Ainort on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.
The whale had reportedly been feeding in the 1km-wide loch for two weeks in January and had since returned.
Ingrid, 58, spent a few days watching from the shoreline with her 59-year-old partner.
On 1 February, the duo from the Northwest Highlands decided to get up close and personal with the magnificent animal.
The amazing images show the whale crashing out of the sea and spraying water in the air.
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The huge humpback was surrounded by a flock of seagulls, who rested on the animal.
“The whale surfaced right next to us on a number of occasions, which was an amazing experience,” Ingrid, who is a tree planter, told Whats The Jam.
“We had been seeing reports and photos on Facebook of a juvenile humpback whale in Loch Ainort on the Isle of Skye.
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“It had been feeding in there for over a fortnight in January.
“It’s unusual for a humpback whale to come so close to shore, especially for such a long time.
“Loch Ainort is a small sea loch, only 1 km wide and the whale was easily visible from the road, so there has been quite a lot of excitement about it, and lots of people have been visiting the loch.
“We spent four days last week watching the whale surfacing and occasionally breaching, often followed by gulls, white-tailed eagles and dolphins.
“Last Sunday, the sea was calm – my husband Sean and I decided to paddle out into the middle of the loch and hang out there all day.”
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