Humpback whale slaps boat with its tail in close encounter that delights the tourists on board

This is the moment a humpback whale high fives a boat by slapping it with its tail in a close encounter.

Stunning footage taken in Dana Point, California, shows the whale breaching the water a few feet away from the boat.

Tourists on the boat were unable to contain their excitement as the whale came up to the surface of the water.

Stunning footage taken in Dana Point, California, shows a humpback whale giving a boat a high five with its tail

The whale touches the side of the boat with its tail before breaching the water a few feet away from it

In the footage, the whale comes up to the surface of the sea for air a few feet from the boat.

It suddenly lifts its tail out of the water and touches the boat as a tourist onboard shouts 'woah'.

Tourists on the boat continue to exclaim as the whale breaches the water, bringing its head out of the sea and shooting water out of its blowhole.

The whale brings its whole body out of the water as it dives down, bringing its tail out again at the end.

The whale breaches a few feet away from the boat as tourists on board shout out in enjoyment

The filmer said: 'The whale came up right along side the boat and then whipped its tail toward me and slapped the hull of the boat!

'I literally could have touched the whale! It was so close!'

The rare encounter happened on June 11 in Dana Point, an area in southern California famous for its whale and dolphin watching.

Blue whales, gray whales, fin whales, minke whales, humpback whales, orcas, common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, Risso’s dolphins and Pacific white-sided dolphins are all known to swim near the along the Dana Point coastline.