( CNN ) -- Wise men say to look before you leap . In Alaska , it 's advisable to look before you land . That 's because , in Alaska , where seaplanes are common , you just might land on a whale . Last week in tiny , remote Angoon , Thomas Hamm was shooting video of a seaplane coming in for a landing . It was a mundane scene in the island community that 's only accessible by boat or seaplane . The video starts out normal . But as the plane lowers , it 's clear something is different about this approach . `` All the sudden , the pilot advanced the throttle and I did n't know why . I thought , 'Oh something must be wrong , ' '' Hamm told CNN . That something was a whale , a humpback , swimming just under the surface . For a moment , it appeared the whale and plane would collide . But the pilot pulled up , getting just enough lift to avoid the mammal . The plane landed safely seconds later . Later Hamm showed the pilot the video he shot . Hamm said the pilot told him he did n't notice the whale ; he reacted to the commotion on the shore . Guys were pointing and yelling . Right as the pilot pulled up , the whale breached , clearing his blowhole and drenching the plane 's windshield . That 's one way to make a splash . Jetliner diverts to Pacific atoll , mechanical glitch blamed . Rare albino whale 'parades ' off Australian coast .
The whale was swimming just under the surface . It is believed that this type of behavior has been observed in other species as well, but it's not clear if they are related to one another or not.