An Alaska man on a paddleboard escaped a close encounter with a humpback whale, not even getting wet during a tense few seconds caught on camera by friends and family as the giant creature surfaced right in front of him then glided under his board.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just so massive. YouB次元官网网址檙e puny against this whale,B次元官网网址� Kevin Williams of Anchorage said Thursday, a week after his adventure with an adult humpback whale in Prince William Sound. Adult females can weigh up to 70,000 pounds (31,700 kilograms) and average about 49 feet (15 meters) in length, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Males are a little smaller.

Williams said anyone who claims they wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be afraid in that situation is crazy.

B次元官网网址淚f you have a whale that doesnB次元官网网址檛 know you were there and is that close, thatB次元官网网址檚 not a good situation,B次元官网网址� he said. One flick of the animalB次元官网网址檚 fin B次元官网网址渙r anything it does could be the end of my life.B次元官网网址�

Williams, his son Brian and a couple other friends were paddleboarding or kayaking in the sound just off Whittier, located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southeast of Anchorage.

They had seen the whale in the fjord, which is about 2 miles (3 kilometers) wide. Williams said he was slower than his friends, who were about 200 feet (60 meters) ahead of him.

The whale began to approach his friends, but they were close to the shoreline so he figured the whale would run out of room and reverse course. He thought he was in the safest spot since he was trailing the group.

The whale went underwater for about 45 seconds, longer than he had noticed it dive before.

B次元官网网址淎nd it surfaced right in front of me, coming towards me,B次元官网网址� Williams said. B次元官网网址淲hoa! I love to see whales up close, but IB次元官网网址檓 on a paddleboard.B次元官网网址�

As the whale slipped below the water again and turned on its side, he could see the white of its belly slowly gliding underneath, about 3 feet (1 meter) under the surface.

The whaleB次元官网网址檚 pectoral fin was sticking a few feet out of the water, and Williams feared the creature might flip over as it swam below him, or he might topple off the board and land on its stomach.

B次元官网网址淚f I fell down, you know, my feet could have easily been on that whale B次元官网网址� tickling that whale or whatever,B次元官网网址� he said.

To steady himself in case the fin hit, he braced his knees together, kneeled, then lowered himself on all fours.

As the whale passed under him B次元官网网址渢here was hardly any turbulence, and I didnB次元官网网址檛 get wet,B次元官网网址� he said, adding that itB次元官网网址檚 rare for people to get hurt by whales.

Still, the experience wonB次元官网网址檛 keep Williams off the water. He plans another paddleboarding trip later Thursday.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檒l never stop, and this is once in a lifetime,B次元官网网址� he said.

Mark Thiessen, The Associated Press

Like us on and follow us on .