Footage has emerged of a gray whale swimming extremely close to a California beach.

The video, filmed on April 2, shows the large animal rolling on its axis and showing off in the shallows, which is unusual for whales of this size.

"During their Northbound migration, these whales will sometimes go in very shallow water and try to get a snack from the bottom and also try to rub barnacles off," the filmer wrote online.

"During the month of April and May, this will happen more, in this spot near Balboa Pier in Newport Beach, CA they seem to do this more than other places around."