A number of years ago in my old Yalta I had a whale and her calf swim under us three times. (wide on East Reef north of Broken Bay). I found it quite an amazing experience, but my mate told me that the rules are that you must keep 100 metres away, and why didn't someone come and tell the rules to the B#$@dy whale!
On the first pass, we didn't even know she swum under us till she came up beside the boat and showed us the underside of her huge tail as she swam away from us, however by the third pass my mate had settled a little as he realised she knew exactly where we were, and if anything, she was more interested in us than we were in her.
It was a fantastic experience, however didn't have a camera with me to record it.
On another occasion, only a couple of miles wide of Box Head, we were watching a group of Humpbacks (we were drifting and they moved to within about 30 metres of us), when a Fairy Penguin swam past the transom of the boat. We decided that we'd seen the big and the small of it that day, and headed in after a few snaps were taken.
During last winter we had a pod of about 40 Dolphins swim with us for nearly an hour. At one stage my Mrs reconned she could pat one of the Dolphins on the head, but was too scared to try.
The Ocean is a wonderful place, make sure you get out and enjoy it (says he, stuck on a job site in country Victoria!)
Cheers,
AF