Humpback whale breaches in front of boat

When passengers set off on a fishing charter off the shores of Vancouver Island near Tofino, British Columbia they hoped to see some prize-sized salmon and halibut … they got a whole lot more.

That's because they spotted a humpback whale swimming just yards from their boat. Not only that but the beast breached right in front of them. As this footage shows.

The video - which was filmed by a passenger using an iPhone - has been seen by more than one million people since being uploaded to YouTube.