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The majestic humpback whale is one of the most enigmatic creatures of the deep sea.

When it surfaces, this acrobatic mammal can throw itself out of the water completely. But under the waves, the creature lives a life of mystery.

Now a group of underwater divers from Mexico has captured the incredible humpback whale enjoying one of life's everyday pleasures: a long, peaceful nap.

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Whale of a time: In this video, the humpback whale sleeps upside-down. Other species of whale sleep while drifting horizontally – a behaviour known as 'logging' - while others rest on the bottom

'We encountered a sleeping humpback whale and managed to get an in-water encounter with her,' Kieren Bown from the group, known as Panga MX wrote on YouTube.

'This is a short clip of a 20 minute encounter showing her come up to breathe and check us out.'

For a long time, people believed that whales never really slept with some pointing to the fact that some have one eye open when resting.

A hump back whale sleeping before coming up for air

Sweet dreams: For a long time, people believed that whales never really slept with some pointing to the fact that some had one eye open when resting. But researchers have now found out that whales only allow one side of their brain to sleep at a time, so that they remember to breathe 

But researchers have now found out that whales only allow one side of their brain to sleep at a time, so that they remember to breathe.

This is because, unlike humans, humpback whales breathe voluntarily with the time frame between breaths anything from 50 minutes to two hours. 

In this video, the humpback whale sleeps upside-down. Other species of whale sleep while drifting horizontally – a behaviour known as 'logging' - while others rest on the bottom.

Sperm whales, however, sleep vertically near the surface of the water.

This was discovered several years ago when a team of researchers off the coast of northern Chile stumbled upon a pod of vertically bobbing sperm whales.

Strangely, none of the whales responded to the team's presence until one of them was gently nudged, making it swim away with the rest of the group.

Researchers also believe that whales can dream. In one study, scientists with the Russian Academy of Sciences of Moscow found that the grey whale could sleep in various states of consciousness.

Sometimes, when resting on the bottom, the whales would exhibit sudden twitches or contractions, combined with eyelid movement, suggesting that they may have been dreaming.

Researchers also believe that whales can dream. In one study, scientists with the Russian Academy of Sciences of Moscow found that the grey whale could sleep in various states of consciousness

Whale hello there: The humpback whale was pictured leaping from the water, almost clattering into a low-flying bird as it waved its fin towards a boat