Spectacular video footage shows the moment a father and son came "face to face" with a pod of humpback whales off the Co Kerry coast.

Terry and Tomás Deane from Camp were on their rib boat about 15 miles northwest of Brandon when they experienced the "unreal" encounter last month.

"We had gone out on the longest day of the year with the intention of finding whales," said Terry.

"We were observing three animals feeding for about an hour, but then they came over to the boat to check us out," he added.

Video recorded by Terry on Tomas' phone captured the moment the 14-year-old experienced a unique view of one of the whales.

The magical moment when a 14-year-old boy came face to face with a humpback whale off the Co Kerry coast 🐋 pic.twitter.com/g6Yr0MP3zr — RTÉ News (@rtenews) July 16, 2019

"Tomás was at the end of the rib filming underwater footage with a GoPro camera. But suddenly one of the humpbacks spyhopped out of the water. There he was just towering over him. It was unreal. We were shaking, not with fear, but in awe."

Spyhopping is a behaviour exhibited by aquatic mammals.

Whales are believed to poke their heads above the surface in order to get a better view of their surroundings.

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group described the footage as "amazing".

It has deployed an acoustic device in the area, following further sightings of humpback whales off the Kerry coast.

The group has also confirmed that one of the whales spotted by the Deanes had been previously recorded in Irish waters.