Whales are some of the most majestic creatures in the world, but since they live deep underwater, we rarely see them on the surface. That’s what makes the video below this story so incredible, as a group of paddle boarders were able to capture an extremely rare up-close encounter with whales on camera.

The paddle boarders were out on the ocean off the coast of Hawaii when they were treated to a truly amazing moment by a humpback whale.

The best time to catch a glimpse of whales in Hawaii is between December and April because it is then that over 10,000 humpbacks annually migrate to the region from their summer feeding grounds in Alaska. Sometimes, people spot whales as early as September and as late as June, but these sightings are even rarer.

The coastlines of Maui are home to the largest population of North Pacific humpback whales, so this is one of the best spots to head to in the hopes of seeing these beautiful animals.

One of the moments that whale watchers love is breaching, which is when they lunge out of the water. When humpback whales breach, they leap out of the water and make a twist with their backs that is truly a sight to behold. Marine experts say that this is their way of communicating with other whales via the sound waves it produces in the water.

Few people can say that they’ve seen a whale breach in person, but those who have never forget the experience. These paddle boarders were able to capture a humpback whale breaching from right up close, and you can check out the footage below!