This is the incredible moment a huge tuna fish jumps clear of the water just feet away from a lucky kayaker.
The 8ft long specimen was part of school of about 30 bluefin tuna chasing garfish off the south Devon coast near Dartmouth when they encountered sea kayaker Rupert Kirkwood.
Rupert, 64, captured on camera one of the big game fish leaping out of the water right in front of them.
The retired veterinary surgeon reckons the fish weighed up to 660lbs (47st) and made a huge splash ‘like an explosion’ as it came back down.
Rupert, who is known as ‘The Lone Kayaker’, said: “It was a calm day and that led to some of the best photos I’ve ever been able to take.
(Image: BNPS)
“I saw some enormous splashes in the distance that I initially thought could be whales.
“I was by myself and some of them leapt towards me and landed around three or four feet in front of me. I was pretty sure I was going to get tipped out.
“It was such a thrill to see. The only way to describe them is like a cross between a torpedo and an exocet missile because they travel at such a speed.”
The waters off the south west coast are currently teeming with bluefin tuna.
(Image: RupertKirkwood/TheLoneKayaker/BNPS)
The area has seen a resurgence in the big game species in recent years and it is now regarded as a ‘world class’ fishery for them.
Although they are highly protected – it is illegal in the UK to kill the fish which was once an endangered species – the UK government has relaxed the catch and release laws on them.
Anglers are now allowed to catch and tag them for scientific purposes before releasing them.
It gives anglers a three month window from August to November to experience the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ thrill of catching big game fish they would otherwise have to travel to the Caribbean for.
Bluefin tuna is a highly-sought after delicacy in Japan where it has been known to sell for £175 per pound.
The fast moving fish have the ability to jump out of the water to stun smaller fish while hunting.