Earth Touch cameraman Barry Skinstad has described and filmed an encounter with a whale off of Cape Infanta, South Africa as:

“The most incredible experience of my 25 years of being in the sea.”

The whale seemed to follow him in the water, allowing for some very close interaction. At the same time, he describes how gentle it was, and the fact that it was aware of where he was in the water and was able to avoid contacting with him.