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![\"faliuens2\"](\"https:\/\/ngradio.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/faliuens2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nRemarkable footage has emerged of a\u00a0pair of whales swimming alongside a Western Australian paddle boarder in Esperance on the state’s southern coast.<\/p>\n
The footage shows the 47-tonne whales cosying up to paddle board rider Dave Price as he floats on the turquoise waters off Fourth Beach.<\/p>\n
The movements of the pair of southern right whales were captured on a drone, a small pilotless helicopter with a camera, that captures footage up to four times the resolution of high definition.<\/p>\n
The drone’s operator, Esperance resident\u00a0Jaimen\u00a0Hudson got wind of the whales frolicking off the coast and rushed to launch the drone to capture whales in action.<\/p>\n
“I don’t think it was dangerous, the whales moved to where he was and the whole time they were very slow moving and peaceful,” Mr Hudson told ABC local.<\/p>\n
Local fishing expert Colin Hampson, who has been in the bucolic town in south-west WA\u00a0since 1985,\u00a0said that no matter how many times you see them the site of the enormous whales plunging in and out of the water was always awe inspiring.<\/p>\n
“They are absolutely magnificent creatures,” he said. “Sometimes you just get very curious whales where you actually\u00a0have to run away in the boat because they just\u00a0keep chasing you.”<\/p>\n
While the whales are now esteemed for their beauty in the water, they were almost completely wiped out during the 19th century.<\/p>\n
The whales\u00a0can grow up to 18 metres long and\u00a0are called southern sight whales because they were historically the “right” whale to catch.<\/p>\n
Within a ten year period between 1835 and 1845 Australian commercial whaling had killed off 75 per cent of the estimated population of 100,000.<\/p>\n
An estimated 12,000 southern right whales are currently spread throughout the southern hemisphere.
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