‘Once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience’: Humpback whale swims along divers. Watch video

However, a viral clip showed a humpback whale swimming between a group of divers, accompanying them for more than an hour in a playful manner. The incredible footage filmed off the coast of French Polynesia has been doing rounds on social media.

The clip shared by Now This News on Twitter shows the whale approaching the divers. It gets in the middle of them and emerges to the surface. The giant mammal seems to be calm and enjoying human company.

“The whale was super curious and would seek out interactions with humans. When a huge humpback whale comes swimming toward you and your friends,” read the text insert in the video.

Since being shared on Thursday, the clip has amassed more than 8,000 views on Twitter. The lifetime experience left netizens in awe. A user commented, “Fantasy bucket list. I would almost trade years off my life for an experience like this.” Another user wrote, “I’m so jealous. How wonderful.” A third user commented, “Such beautiful creatures!!”

Professional diver Kayleigh Grant managed to capture her encounter with the whale. Grant told Dailymail that encounters like this are very rare and have only happened to her a handful of times in her decade-long career as a diver. She added, “If you’re a regular person it’s extremely lucky, a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience.”

Such rare moments in the ocean often gain traction online. In February this year, a whale and a dolphin were caught on a drone camera spinning and moving while lashing out the blue seawater in the US. The Hawaii photographer described the moment as magical and the clip was widely shared on social media.