A curious whale stopped to check out a stand-up paddleboarder off Capistrano Beach in Dana Point Sunday afternoon, a moment between man and nature caught on camera.

“It was pretty amazing,” said Doug Griffith, who was out on the water with his son, Fritz, and father, Don. “I just think it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I spend a fair amount of time in the water and you don’t see a whale every day.”

Photographer Matt Larmand, who lives in the area and is known for documenting sharks that hang out offshore at this stretch of coast, launched his drone to get footage of the moment after he heard Griffith shouting out about the whale hanging out.

The whale, which looked like a juvenile, was only about 10-to 15 feet from shore at times.

See also: Gray whale makes surprise visit into Dana Point Harbor

Griffith said he was trying to keep his distance, but the whale kept zig-zagging in his direction.

“A couple times he popped up right next to me, I saw the tail pop up right next to me,” he said, noting the whale was about 25 feet.

Apparently the whale didn’t get the social distancing memo.

“(The whale) was not keeping the 6-feet away like he was supposed to,” Larmand joked.

Larmand said it’s the nearest he’s seen whales come close to shore along this stretch of beach.

Griffith said his son Fritz was supposed to go to Baja on a whale-watching trip before the coronavirus pandemic hit, but it was canceled.

“I don’t need to go to Baja now,” Fritz told his dad.

It’s not the first curious whale to check out someone on a board out in the ocean. Footage last year of a whale cruising next to surfers at nearby Doheny went viral.

For Larmand, it was a nice reminder that with all the stresses happening around the world, nature is still out there.

“Luckily, they don’t have to deal with all the stuff we’re dealing with,” he said. “They can just go about their business.”