A group of whale watchers almost missed out on the moment of a lifetime after a sneaky whale rose up right behind their boat while they were looking the other way.

The group was pictured waiting patiently with their cameras poised, but very nearly missed the spectacular encounter by looking the wrong way while the whale surfaced a matter of feet away from their boat.

They were all looking the other way, waiting for a whale sighting with their cameras at the ready, and they almost missed the incredible encounter just behind them. Thankfully, one of the party members turned around just in time to see the massive whale, which was only a few feet away, before it vanished back into the water.

The boat’s jubilation after capturing the incredible encounter may be seen.