Whale Lunges Out of Water, Surprising Flute-Playing Paddleboarder

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Qusek/iStock/Thinkstock(HALF MOON BAY, Calif.) — A professional flutist who brings her instrument with her when she paddleboards got the surprise of her life when a whale lunged towards her paddleboard off the coast of California.

Viviana Guzman was paddleboarding off the coast of Half Moon Bay, California, last week when the whale jumped out of the water right next to her.

“When I screamed it turned away from me. It surprised me and I surprised it,” Guzman told ABC News Wednesday. “It could have totally toppled me but he just gently went away, went under the water.”

Guzman, who lives near Half Moon Bay, described the whale as “like an iceberg.” She said she often plays her flute while paddleboarding, which she said catches the attention of whales in the water.

“I feel like they’re curious about the flutes and they come towards me,” she said. “I started my usual playing and all of a sudden one came really, really close to me.”

Guzman posted video of the encounter on YouTube, where it has been viewed more than 60,000 times.

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