Tourists on a whale-watching trip off the coast of Hawaii were left drenched when a cheeky humpback splashed their boat.
The delightful moment was captured during a whale watching tour in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii and quickly went viral on Instagram, with over 4,000 views so far.
In the clip, the playful 50-foot mammal puts on a show for the crowd on an inflatable raft as it performed a number of tricks.
And for a finale the humpback, one of about 120,000 believed left in the world's oceans, splashed them several times before swimming away.
The playful humpback whale was captured on camera splashing tourists off the coast of Hawaii
Toni Colombo, the marketing manager at the Ultimate Whale Watch and Snorkel company, said: 'This humpback whale was spotted performing above the surface so Captain Tiffiany stopped 100 yards away to observe.
'Soon after the whale began to make its way toward our small raft.
'Although humpback whales are very large they have amazing body awareness and the encounter was safe and friendly.'
A rainbow could be seen when one of the tourists dived out of the way of the playful whale
'We have been operating whale watching tours for almost 40 years and have never had an unsafe encounter with a humpback whale.'
Close encounters with the gentle whales are rare as they remain a protected species in Hawaii and it is illegal to be within 100ft of one unless they approach.
Toni said: 'Close encounters only happen if the whale decides to come to our boat, which is called a 'mugging'.
'In this case, we stopped our boat to prevent any harm coming to the whale and allow them to hang out next to the boat.
'This one was very close to touching the boat but didn't.'
Social media users were delighted by the encounter.
One said: 'How amazing is this!!!??'
Someone else added: 'Amazing! A beautiful whale and a rainbow.'
Humpback whales and their territory around the world
Humpback whales live in oceans around the world. They travel incredible distances every year and have one of the longest migrations of any mammal on the planet.
Some populations swim 5,000 miles from tropical breeding grounds to colder, plentiful feeding grounds - this is why it is difficult to estimate population size, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .
Of the 14 distinct populations, 12 are estimated to number more than 2,000 humpback whales each and two are estimated to number fewer than 2,000.
Some populations (such as those off eastern and western Australia) are believed to number in excess of 20,000 animals—a remarkable recovery given that the same populations were almost eradicated by whaling almost sixty years ago.
By contrast, the smallest known population is one which inhabits the Arabian Sea year-round, and may number as few as 80 individuals.
Threats to humpback whales include decline in food like Krill due to a combination of climate change and industrial-scale fishing.
Humpback whales can become entangled by many different gear types including moorings, traps, pots, or gillnets.
Once entangled, if they are able to move the gear, the whale may drag and swim with attached gear for long distances, ultimately resulting in fatigue, compromised feeding ability, or severe injury.
There is evidence to suggest that most humpback whales experience entanglement over the course of their lives, but are often able to shed the gear on their own.
Inadvertent vessel strikes can injure or kill humpback whales.
Humpback whales are vulnerable to vessel strikes throughout their range, but the risk is much higher in some coastal areas with heavy ship traffic.
Underwater noise threatens whale populations, interrupting their normal behaviour and driving them away from areas important to their survival.
Sound has been shown to increase stress hormones in their system and mask the natural sounds humpback whales require to communicate and locate prey.