Humpback Whale Fight

photo credit: Karim Iliya

It’s like closing time at a bar…fighting over a date.

Check out underwater photographer Karim Iliya’s incredible footage and narration of his encounter with a group of humpback whales in the South Pacific in Tonga.

Iliya’s encounter included getting up close to a juvenile humpback. But the real action was observing four males duking it out for mating rights.

“Four large male humpback whales emerged, two of them broke off and started smashing into each other blowing bubbles, tails whipping around,” Iliya said.

“They came closer and closer all the while fighting, a 5-meter-long tale whipped near my face, and the thought occurred to me that I would be pulverized between these two school bus sized animals.”

Check out the video:

For the full story and photos visit Discovery.com.