A boatload of tourists on a whale watching trip were shocked to see hunters harpoon a whale right in front of them.

The boat's skipper Geir Maan tells ABC, "We were on our way out to the whale watching area when we passed a whaling boat."

"This time, we got close, and right when they were passing, I realized they had a minke whale in firing range."

And fire they did - the hunters struck the whale with a harpoon, carrying it aboard to beat it to death.

Maan adds, "Some were pretty upset. Many thought it was awful to see."

Norway resumed whale hunting in 1993, and have so far killed over 400 of this year's quota of 1,052 minke whales.