Whale engulfs two people kayaking but thankfully they survived

People are flooding to social media in disbelief over footage of two kayakers being fully engulfed by a humpback whale.

Julie McSorley and Liz Cottriel were kayaking off the coast of Avila Beach, California when they caught sight of some whales.

Despite spotting some whales 30 feet away, the whale watchers got much more than they bargained for, getting a lot more up close and personal with the whales than they ever expected they would.

Warning: Contains footage some may find upsetting:

The clip - recorded and first posted on social media in 2020 - shows ripping blue sea, soaring birds and various kayakers dotted around near Avila Beach.

McSorley and Cottriel can be seen in their kayak, paddling away, however, the picturesque image soon takes a dark turn as something rises from beneath the surface of the waves.

A whale emerges from the water, it's mouth gaping open and over the two kayakers, appearing to swallow them before slinking off under the sea again.

Miraculously, McSorley and Cottriel both survived.

Recalling the moment she realised something was wrong, McSorley told Fox 26 News: "I saw the big pool of fish, the big bait ball come up out of the water. I saw the whale come up. I thought, 'Oh no! It's too close'.

"The whale was right here in my face, literally."

"All of a sudden, I lifted up, and I was in the water. I'm thinking to myself, 'I'm gonna push. Like, I'm gonna push a whale out of the way! It was the weirdest thought. I'm thinking, 'I'm dead. I'm dead.' I thought it was gonna land on me. Next thing I know, I'm under water."

Other kayakers immediately rushed over to the pair after they surfaced to bring them to safety.

McSorley reflects: "They were telling us, ‘You were in the mouth, you were in the whale’s mouth!'

"But we didn’t have any idea at that time. And it didn’t really hit us until we watched the video later."

It didn't take long for the video of the pair being engulfed by the whale to go viral on social media.

One Twitter user wrote: "I watched it multiple times and every time I was like 'No. - No. No. No. No. No.'"

"Now try and tell me Jonah and the whale is fake," another commented.

A third added: "New fear unlocked."

And a final simply resolved: "Wow, that's a whale of a tale!"