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Lucky swimmers have a whale of a time

Lucky swimmers ahve a whale of a time

Two Gold Coast adventurers have had a rare close encounter with Humpback whales off South Stradbroke Island.

The couple went overboard to film a turtle but captured incredible images of something much bigger.

Brad Nicholls and Emmy-Rose Curtis swam together three kilometres east of the Gold Coast Seaway as Humpback whales approached.


The mother and calf slowly edged their way right up to them and then rose out of the sea.

The whales would then dive deep out of sight and rise slowly next to their new friends.

The encounter lasted for more than an hour and it was the perfect opportunity to take a whale selfie.

Brad said: “Having it that close I wasn't going to let that opportunity pass by having them all around us, like they were mate, you're never going to do that again."

An adult Humpback weighs around 40 tonnes and they are 12 metres long.

People have been killed swimming with them before but Brad and Emmy insist they never felt threatened.

Emmy said: “We kept getting out of the water and they would be coming up to the boat and spy hopping as if to say where'd you go? What are you doing? come back and play."

It is possible more people could have a similar close encounter with the humpbacks off the Gold Coast next year. Commercial tour operators are applying for permits to allow passengers to swim with the whales.

Brad said: "The feeling is amazing I just had butterflies the whole time."