Devon man captures moment a whale comes close to his kayak off Cornish coast
Watch moment a whale comes within feet of Rupert's kayak
A kayaker from Devon captured the moment a whale came within feet of him off the coast of Cornwall.
Rupert Kirkwood, a retired farm vet from Holsworthy, got in his kayak and ventured out off the coast of Mousehole near Marazion on Tuesday 3 August.
He went in search of a whales and other marine wildlife but did not expect to see a minke whale approach his kayak and come so close.
He said: "I specifically went out and paddled far out to sea in the hope of looking out for a whale which is what I do whenever I get the opportunity from my kayak.
"As I was sitting surrounded by silence I was about three or four miles off-shore and it was a dead calm day, I suddenly noticed a few swirls in the water beside me.
"I realised the only thing it could’ve been was the whale coming to check me out.
"Any thoughts of apprehension were swamped out by the sheer excitement of the moment."
Rupert is known to fans of his blog as The Lone Kayaker and often sets out in his vessel in search of whales and dolphins.
Watch Rupert describe the moment he spotted the whale approach him
He said his excustion around St Michael’s Mount amounted to more than 20 miles and he was fortunate to spot dolphins and porpoises.
Although the whale came so close, he said he never felt scared by the mammal.
He said: "I heard a whale from about a distance of a mile away because it was such a calm day so I paddled over to it to investigate .
"So the whale was hanging around close to my kayak and suddenly up it popped. A great blast of air and up came this full-sized whale about 25-foot long right beside my kayak.
"The best thing about a kayak is you can hear everything and to be that close to a whale and to hear that blast of breath and in fact you’re that close you can hear the gasp as it breathes in again which is really an exceptional experience.
"To see it off the coast of Cornwall is really remarkable.
"I’d already had a great day because I had already come across five or six pods of dolphins and porpoises dotted around all over the place.
"I think I’m the only person who goes out specifically looking for whales in my kayak."