So this guy just made paddle boarding seem like the best thing ever! Watch how close he gets to two curious whales.

Amazing. The pair of whales who popped up to say hello to paddle boarder Dave are Southern Right whales, of which there are only around 7,000 left! Dave's friend Jaimen jumped on the chance to film this incredible encounter on his drone camera, which is why we're lucky enough to be able to see it.

The best bit about this video is that Dave got to see these amazing animals where they belong -- in the ocean. Animals like whales deserve to live freely and happily, and it's this realisation that has helped many people come to the decision that a tank is no place to see a marine animal. (Here's 5 more reasons animals don't belong in tanks.)

Has this video got you hungry to see animals up close in the wild? Check out these 10 amazing places to see animals in their natural habitat.

This stingray, man. I didn't even know how much I liked stingrays until I saw this. Check out how much he loves a head rub :) (or is he just after food? -- nah I'm going with head rub.)

Ok, fess up, how many times did you watch it?

And in case you're now wondering what a stingray pup looks like, (not even joking, baby stingrays are legit called pups), I've done the research for you:

I'll just give you a minute to wipe the love hearts out of your eyes ...

It's not every day we get to have close encounters with marine animals. But whenever we do, it's clear that just like all animals, they have unique personalities :) (Check out this awesome vid of tourists getting up close to a mother whale and her baby in the wild.)

Have you ever had a close encounter with an animal that has opened your eyes to how made you think differently about them? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.

[More cool things about fish]