Hilary Swank reveals the jaw-dropping way she celebrated her 50th birthday with striking photos

Hilary Swank marked her milestone 50th birthday on July 30 , and celebrated the big day by taking a pretty daring plunge with a few friends.

Those friends, though, turned out to be a sea of whales, as the two-time Oscar winning actress revealed that she celebrated the big day by going swimming with whales.

Hilary shared glimpses of her extraordinary undersea adventure on Instagram, with photographs capturing her swim with the gigantic mammals.

The star and one other person were pictured in scuba suits swimming alongside the whales, while other breath-taking shots captured the giants of the sea in action, plus the scale of their size compared to their little boat on the surface.

An awestruck Hilary captioned her post with: "Humbled and Honored to be turning 50 and sharing this planet with these Gentle Giants. Swimming with whales has been at the top of my #BucketList and it was even better than I imagined."

Sharon Stone took to the comments section to wish her a happy birthday, while Lisa Rinna also commented: "Happy Birthday! Wow time flies you were 21 when we first met!"

Other stunned fans left responses like: "THAT'S a way to celebrate a birthday!! Awesome!!" and: "Ahhhh so proud of you! Such a magical experience and such a life feat to make it happen."

MORE: Hilary Swank reveals what surprised her the most about motherhood since welcoming twins

Apart from being one of the most acclaimed actresses of the early aughts with her two Oscar wins in 2000 ( Boys Don't Cry ) and 2005 ( Million Dollar Baby ), Hilary achieved another major milestone over the last year — becoming a mother.

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The star welcomed her twins Aya and Ohm with her husband Philip Schneider in April 2023. While she has kept them out of the spotlight, she finally shared their names for the first time in honor of Valentine's Day this February.

MORE: Hilary Swank reveals the beautiful story behind her twin’s unique names

"I have a busy week of talk shows ahead where I'll be sharing about my new film and a fun partnership, but I figured what better day to share the names of my two little loves with you all first," she wrote alongside an adorable photo of the twins at the beach and their names written in the sand. "Thanks for being here!! Happy Valentine's Day!"

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Days later, she sat down for an interview with CBS Sunday Morning , and gushed about motherhood, saying of her twins : "They just turned ten months old. And I've been with them every single day."

MORE: Hilary Swank pays heartfelt tribute to her 'angel' baby twins in rare personal post

She also got emotional when she discussed her late father Stephen Michael Swank, for whom she'd taken a break from acting when he was recovering from a lung transplant. He unfortunately passed away in 2021 at the age of 73, never getting the chance to see his grandchildren.

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Hilary paid tribute to him on the day that would've been his 75th birthday , April 16, 2023, writing: "You would be 75 today, and a Great Papa to two more extraordinary souls. I celebrate you everyday and the beautiful grace filled gift you were and continue to be in my life. You are greatly missed by so many, but I can't imagine anyone missing you more than me."