Incredible video shows Australian beachgoers swimming next to a giant sperm whale after the creature was spotted 'dangerously close' to shore.
Swimmers at Leighton Beach, just north of Fremantle in Perth, were seen approaching the whale, which had wandered into shallow waters.
The footage shows a group of curious beachgoers getting close to the enormous creature before it can swim back into the ocean.
Marine biologist Dr Natalie Sinclair said the whale was at risk of stranding and the behavior it displayed was 'unusual and dangerous'.
She also warned that people should “leave the whale alone” because swimming close could disorient the mammal.
“The proximity of individuals to the whale poses risks not only to the animal, but also to the people involved,” she told the BBC.
The whale is believed to have beached twice in the past two days, most recently at Rockingham Naval Memorial Park Beach.
Authorities said the animal, which is more than 50 feet long and weighs more than 30 tons, may have been looking for a place to rest.
Swimmers were able to get up close to a giant sperm whale at Leighton beach, just north of Freemantle
Marine biologist Dr Natalie Sinclair said swimming close to the whale was dangerous
Mark Cugley, manager of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) Swan Coastal District, said the animal may have to be euthanized because it could not get off the sandbank.
'If he's resting, I'm not sure if he can actually get off the sandbar, but I would suggest that for the last two, two and a half days he's probably been looking for a place to come and rest ,” he told the ABC.
“He's currently doing that on the sandbank behind us.”
The department also issued a warning to swimmers that the whale could attract sharks.