Six friends were paddling off Kailua on Thursday when they ran into a tale of nearly biblical terms.

It was early evening, and they were about three miles from Flat Island in dark blue water when a whale surfaced amid the group.

“;All I saw was a loud thump, crackling noise, and his canoe flying upside down,”; said Wendall Balai about fellow paddler Keola Lindsey.

Each paddler was in his own canoe, and Balai was about 30 feet behind where the whale surfaced at about 5:20 p.m.

“;It popped up right in front of (Lindsey),”; Balai said. “;He had no chance of stopping.”;

Balai, of Kaneohe, saw the roughly 30-foot-long mammal's tail rise out of the water and crash down onto Lindsey's canoe, nearly snapping it in half.

Lindsey flew into the air along with his boat, then a wave briefly blocked Balai's view of the collision.

“;He was more shocked than anything else,”; Balai said. “;He just tried to get away from the whale, and his boat was damaged beyond repair.”;

The collision left a hole about 8 inches wide in the canoe, which started sinking.

Lindsey was forced to abandon his boat, which typically costs about $4,000, Balai said.

Another paddler took Lindsey back to shore.

Balai said he often trains in that area and has seen humpback whales there, but never that close.

Endangered humpback whales travel to waters around the Hawaiian Islands during the winter months to breed, calve and mate.

For Balai the whale encounter became a lesson about keeping a better lookout.

He added, “;Most importantly, keep an eye on each other and make sure each other is OK.”;