When a video claims to show a kayak getting "lifted by whales", the truth generally turns out to be much less dramatic (a case of whales getting a little too close). But footage that emerged this week from Puerto Madryn, a city in Argentine Patagonia, really does deliver on its promise. 

"As we watched from the top of the kayak, one of the whales turned and came towards our direction and lifted the boat twice," says YouTube user gisela6652, who uploaded the video on Sunday.

The whales are likely southern right whales, considered a fully protected "natural monument" in Argentinian waters. As unbelievable as this encounter is, the father-daughter duo shouldn't have been so close. Had this happened in US waters, the pair would be facing hefty fines under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.