Diver’s close encounter with 100ft blue whale is captured in stunning photos

THESE dramatic pictures show a diver having a whale of a time when a gentle giant came to say hello.

The huge blue whale, thought to be around 100ft in length, popped up to feed on krill in Sri Lanka’s warm waters.

Thai photographer Tanakit YamMo Suwanyangyaun, 37, managed to take these stunning pictures as the huge mammal emerged from the deep.

He said: “It looked like a submarine. Every whale we saw was massive, but this one was up to 100ft long. It made me realise how tiny I am in this world.”

Tanakit managed to capture the stunning pictures thanks to the help of a fellow diver to show just how small humans are compared to the beautiful sea creatures.

He added: “You need to be fast to get into the water but without scaring them, otherwise they dive down very quickly.

“You only have ten seconds before it swims past you, so you need to hold your breath while diving down with them. It takes a lot of physical effort.”

Blue whales are the largest animal known to have ever existed on Earth.

The heaviest one ever recorded weighed 173 tonnes.

The marine mammal was nearly hunted to extinction in the early 20th century until they became protected in 1966.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature now estimates there are between 10,000 and 25,000 worldwide.

Despite their huge size blue whales feed almost exclusively on krill and an adult is said to be able to eat up to 40 million of them a day.