A fisherman in New Hampshire was merely hoping to catch a few striped bass off the coast of Hampton Beach last Thursday, but he ended up nabbing something much more impressive.

Zach Fahey, who was out fishing with his father and another angler, managed to capture footage of what appears to be a humpback whale breaching the surface of the water, just a short distance from the fishermen’s 20-foot boat.

“I'm surprised I kept the camera still,” the 28-year-old Massachusetts man told the New Hampshire Union Leader.

WILD VIDEO SHOWS FISHERMEN WRESTLING GREAT WHITE FOR STRIPED BASS

Fahey said he actually spotted the whale chasing a school of fish earlier, and moved closer to get a better look. When the fish swam past his boat, he took out his smartphone and waited for the whale to show itself once again — and this time it came much, much closer than he expected.

“It kind of scared the crap out of me at first,” Fahey told The Boston Globe. “Once I realized what I was looking at, it was really cool.”

According to Fahey, the whale’s head was nearly the size of his entire boat.

He now counts the encounter as one of his “top memories” on the water, the Globe reports, especially since he has footage to show for it.

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“I was excited not only that it happened, but that I got it on camera so people believe me,” he remarked.