Gutting moment boat full of tourists caught looking the wrong way as giant humpback breaches beside them
Captured by British photographer John Goodridge in Sydney, the image shows a colossal 40–tonne sea mammal leaping out of the water
A boat full of whale watchers appear to be looking the WRONG WAY when a massive humpback breaches right beside them.
The huge 40-tonne beast dwarfs the sightseeing vessel which was just metres away when the colossal marine mammal leapt out the water.
British amateur wildlife photographer John Goodridge snapped this incredible shot from another boat as hopeful tourists scanned the waters just off the coast of Sydney, Australia.
Whale watchers were out in force trying to catch a glimpse of the giant creatures during their annual winter migration.
Yorkshireman John, 52, was just 300 yards away when he took the perfectly timed picture.
The dad-of-three, who works for a packaging company, said: "They were all looking the wrong way because about eight minutes before the whale had breached on the other side of the boat and they were waiting for it to come up again.
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"I have been photographing whales more seriously now for about a year and you get used to the way they move and where they will come up again.
“It might have breached one place eight minutes ago but in that time underwater it could have swam anyway.
"I suppose they were lucky in a way, I've never seen a whale breach that close to a boat before and the thing was bobbing like a cork when it landed in the water, it was certainly longer and heavier than the boat."
John, originally from York, lives in Sydney with his Australian wife and three children.
He used a recently purchased Cannon 1DX and 100 - 400 lens to get the amazing photograph.
He said: "Some people have asked me if there's a trick of perspective with the image, but no, the whale was right next to the boat.
“I didn't get the splash sadly because I turned to shoot another whale, but I definitely saw a splash."
Every year thousands of humpbacks - some as big as 50 tonnes and measuring 52-feet long - migrate along the eastern Australian coastline from the cold waters of Antarctica to the tropics.
Between June and August, pregnant females often travel north to give birth to protect their calves from the colder southern temperatures.
From September to November, more than 8,000 whales are estimated to make the 6,000 mile journey south to feed on huge plumes of krill and other tiny crustaceans.
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