Those were the words of Kaeo Landon-Lane recalling his encounter with two eight metre southern right whales on Saturday. 

Mr Landon-Lane said his dad, Chris, spotted the whales off their balcony which looks over Denison Beach north of Bicheno.

“We got the boat and headed out. After waiting a long time we thought they had gone.  Then my dad saw a really big black nose poke out of the water. It was probably about a metre long and was about 300 metres away,” he said.  

He intended to film them from a distance. 

“It was hard to tell how far away they were, there was at least 20 metres visibility. As soon as I could see them I just went completely still in the water,” he said. “They drifted out of view then they came back a couple of times, they came back a third time and were pointing at me.” 

Mr Landon-Lane said they got “closer and closer” and he thought “that’s close enough”. 

“I put my hand out and put it on the very front of his body. I was using my muscles and it felt like work but he wasn’t going back at all, he was just sitting there.”

Mr Landon-Lane said the whale held contact for about five seconds, with the experience lasting an hour. 

Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment said it was important for people to be aware of the national guidelines for whale watching. 

“Clearly no harm was intended by the swimmer and the whales appear to have made the approach in this case, the Department reminds the public that such interactions have the potential to result in serious injury,” she said.

“When it is realised their size, with adult animals weighing up to 70 tonnes, even a quick tail flick by a southern Right whale could cause serious injuries to people.”

The spokeswoman reminds swimmers that the national guidelines state swimmers should not enter the water within 100 metres of a whale and not approach closer than 30 metres.