Humpback whale leaps from water next to Devon man's boat

A humpback whale surprised a crew of fishermen when it breached close to their boat off the coast of Devon yesterday morning.

Incredible footage shows the moment the whale leapt out of the sea in Lyme Bay.

Skipper Chris 'Cece' Clarke, 24, said the men had been working through the night when three whales appeared nearby.

The humpback whale was sighted by a group of fishermen in Lyme Bay off the coast of Devon on July 26

He said three whales started circling his boat before one came close and leapt straight out the water.

It then landed again and made a huge splash.

'We'd been up all night working and we saw them going past. It certainly woke us up a bit,' he said.

'Two of them were a way off, but one swam right past us, and leapt out the water.'

Chris told the BBC: 'We'd just finished hauling one our strings of whelk pots, one of the lads shouted "Look, a whale."

The humpback whale leapt out of the water a number of times, each time making a huge splash when it landed

The crew had set out from Brixham, Devon and were about 14 miles off the coast of Lyme Regis in Dorset when they came across the whales

Sightings of humpback whales are rare and Chris said: 'I've seen lots of dolphins and seals, but I've never seen a whale before'

'I naturally thought he was pulling my leg then, next thing you know, it's swimming next to the boat. It's a lovely, lovely sight first thing in the morning.

'I'd seen there had been a couple of Minke whales spotted off Plymouth the other day on Facebook but I didn't think I'd ever see one.

'Perfect little start to the morning.'

The crew had set out on the Pen Glas from Brixham, Devon, on Friday, July 24, and were about 14 miles off Lyme Regis in Dorset when they came across the whales.

Chris added: 'I've seen lots of dolphins and seals, but I've never seen a whale before.

'I never thought I was desperate to see a whale but I'm really glad that I have.'

It is one of a number of whale sightings off the South West coast in recent weeks.