This is the incredible moment when a humpback whale was spotted leaping out of the water in the River Clyde.
The huge mammal was spotted swimming off the coast of Dunoon by stunned passers-by on Sunday morning. Dawn Petherick, a shamanic healer and retreat leader from Innellan in Argyll, captured the rare moment on camera.
After being alerted to a sighting on their Clyde Cetaceans Sightings WhatsApp group at around 9.30am, the 59-year-old raced down to the shore to catch a glimpse.
Her friend Jason Coles owns Wreckspeditions, who organise scuba diving and powerboat tours from their base near Dunoon, and the pair headed out on his boat for a closer look.
In the spectacular clip the humpback whale can be seen swimming close to the surface of the water. It then leaps out of the river before splashing back in - much to the delight of those watching on.
Dawn told the Record: "I love close encounters with wildlife, so when I saw the alerts of a whale on the group chat, I jumped in the car to see if I could find it from the shore.
"I just never imagined that I would be able to do that on my doorstep. Seeing it breach and hearing it breathing was very emotional and it’s still sinking in. It was such a special gift of a day, I feel truly blessed."
Jason was also left stunned as the pair came into close contact with the whale. It's believed the mammal then headed up Loch Long before they eventually lost sight of it.
Jason, who is also a marine mammal medic, said: "In all my years on the water I could only dream of seeing such a beautiful creature in action.
"People pay so much money to go to far off locations to see such incredible wildlife, but to have it appear on your doorstep is something that will live long in the memory.
A true testament to how healthy the west coast waters really are."
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