"The whole experience was absolutely thrilling."
A former farm vet who has a "passion for natural history" was kayaking and paddling offshore near Fowey when he saw a 30ft whale off the coast of Cornwall. He was able to capture the "thrilling" footage of their close encounter as the Minke whale circled him for 20 minutes.
Rupert Kirkwood, 62, from Holsworthy in Devon, has been kayaking for 17 years but became more dedicated with the activity after he took an early retirement five years ago.
"Whales are very difficult to spot because they just roll off the surface without a splash and then they go," he told Newsbreak. "The beauty of them - which always makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck - is the noise of the blowhole.
"If I had been in a boat with an engine and not a kayak, there would have been no way I would have seen (the whale) because it guided me to it with the noise."
Adventures of the Lone Kayaker
Aside from a former farm vet, Mr. Kirkwood was also a father of four who shared his keen interest in wildlife. He clocked up nearly 30,000 miles of paddling and spotted around 25 whales since.
He regularly posts these encounters on his blog, called The Lone Kayaker, including photos and videos taken of his adventures. "An interest in natural history is in my blood and I've always had an absolute passion for it," he said.
On his kayaking schedules, he had often come across other creatures of the ocean such as dolphins, who are quite social, basking sharks, giant tuna, sunfish, and even one leatherback turtle.
"I'm always thrilled to see seals and in the early mornings, otters - which are up there with my favorite creatures."
He was proud to say that of his several close contacts with wild animals, he has never felt threatened by them. "Even when it's a 30ft whale that could tip me out of my kayak with a single movement, it knows I'm there and it's in total control," he said.
"Many of the creatures actually come towards a kayak because it breaks up the boring monotony of the sea.
Even a 25-foot-long basking shark which was 'a bit more sinister' had no interest in any bad intent at all.
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Still Better Off Safe Than Sorry
Although Mr. Kirkwood didn't feel threatened by most of the creatures, no matter how big or small he had encountered, he said the biggest danger he faces is still the sea and that anyone interested in taking up kayaking should be prepared at all times.
"I do take a barrage of safety equipment with me and I always wear a life jacket," he said. He also added to bring phone, GPS personal locator beacon, and flares just in case something happens.
The video of his close encounter with the Minke whale has garnered over 101,000 views on Twitter.
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