Baby gray whale and 45-foot mother pass directly under whale watching boat

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Jan. 10 (UPI) -- A whale watching boat in California had one of its "most exciting encounters ever" when a baby gray whale and its 45-foot mother swam right under the vessel.

Mark Girardeau of Newport Coastal Adventures captured a drone video during a Sunday trip off the Newport Beach coast of a baby gray whale and its mother swimming nearby the vessel.

The baby whale, apparently curious about the whale watchers, swims right up to the boat before gliding underneath, followed by its mother.

Audio of the drone pilot and ship's captain reveals the boat's engines were shut down during the encounter to avoid posing a danger to the whales.

"This was one of our most exciting encounters EVER today! As we were watching a mom and baby gray whale, the baby turned away from its mom and swam right to our boat. The 45 foot long mom came to guide the baby back on course, right under us!" Newport Coastal Adventure said in a Facebook post.