North Carolina fishermen stunned by close encounter with whale at Wrightsville Beach

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A group of North Carolina fishermen were overjoyed when they encountered a large whale off the coast of Wrightsville Beach.

Fisherman Matthew Colonna captured video of the encounter Tuesday when he and his friends, Andy Connette and James Hargrove, went fishing for the day. The video shows the whale swimming closely around the boat the group was in.

"We sat there for around 30 minutes as the humpback whale swam around the boat and hung-out. The whale smelled terrible but what an absolutely magnificent animal," Colonna said.

Another group of whales were sighted earlier this month when a group of friends were out boating near the Cape Lookout Lighthouse in Carteret County. The group captured stunning video of several humpback whales breaching out of the water.

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