A group of Aussie surfers have been slammed for “harassing” a large whale after television footage caught them wading just metres from it.

The footage shows a group of surfers sitting on their boards in the sea at Freshwater Beach, Sydney, having surrounding a large whale.

However the awe-inspiring sight belies a hidden danger - last year a surfer was injured by the same species of whale at Bondi Beach.

Australian TV channel Nine News captured the amazing pictures from their helicopter this morning – including the moment one frantic surfer began splashing his way out of trouble after the whale quickly moved its tail in his direction.

The rest of the group kept their distance and watched as the animal appeared in playful mood.

None of the surfers were seen touching the whale, but local laws dictate that swimmers shuld keep 100 metres away from the animals.

Local resident Ian Hansen told Fairfax media he spotted the whale ringed by the surfers and was concerned about its welfare.

He said: “To be honest they were harassing it a bit. They were so close and it had no room to move.”

Onlookers took snaps from the beach as the whale surfaced and went under while it soon got a guard against further unwanted visitors with a coast guard boat arrived to watch over it.