A dramatic video of a sea plane just narrowly missing a surfacing humpback whale went viral recently, proving that some fish stories are more than just tall tales.

Thomas Hamm, a San Diego businessman, managed to capture the event on his cellphone when he was visiting the remote village of Angoon, which lies around 60 miles southwest of Alaska's capital.

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In the footage, an aircraft is preparing to descend for a landing in what appears to be a calm bay. Just before landing, the plane pulls up abruptly just as a surfacing whale rises and blows a spray of water over the aircraft's windshield.

Hamm later posted the video to YouTube under the title of "Whale v. Pontoon Plane," garnering more than 170,000 views in less than a week.

The businessman seemed to scarcely be able to believe the fantastic footage he'd captured, and lauded the ability of the pilots to react quickly and avoid hitting the whale.

"These guys who fly in Alaska, let me tell you, they are good," Hamm said.

According to what the pilot told Hamm, he didn't actually spot the whale, instead he was reacting to a commotion onshore. People were pointing and shouting and the pilot responded accordingly - luckily just in the nick of time.

Residents gasped as the 14-foot behemoth drenched the plane with water as it swerved upwards to avoid the mammoth ocean creature. The plane then landed safely just seconds after its close call.

Angoon is a small village off of Alaska's coast which is only accessible by boat or plane. Seaplanes are extremely common in the area, as are large mammals such as the humpback whale.

The small town is known for its wildlife and now can lay claim to the extremely popular video which will surely cause future seaplane pilots flying in to be extra careful before sticking that final landing.

Tagsplane v whale video, plane lands on whale, alaska plane v whale, Thomas Hamm, Whale vs. Pontoon Plane