Two fishermen have been filmed riding on the back of a seven-metre long whale shark, one of the ocean's most reclusive creatures, off the coast of Queensland.
The men were fishing for tuna with a friend off Moreton Island on Saturday when the huge beast nuzzled up to their boat.
Kalani Strid said they jumped in the water once they realised the whale shark — a slow-moving filter feeding shark — wasn't dangerous. "It had a big fin but this turned out to be a whale shark," he told Nine News.
The whale shark swam with the men for around 20 minutes, with nearby fishermen also joining in. "They were just as amazed as we were," Brendon Strid said.
Whale sharks are only seen around once a year in the area and have been known to grow up to 12-metres long. Perth-based whale shark expert Brad Norman has strongly warned against the practice. "Basically there are some specific restrictions that really need to be adhered to, to minimise the impact humans have on the sharks," he told ninemsn. "Probably the most blatant is definitely no touching, and no riding."
Mr Norman, who works as a director of whale shark protection group Ecocean, said human interaction could change the natural behaviour of the big fish.
"There is a lot of concern about whale sharks because they are a threatened species and their numbers have been in decline globally," he said.
"They are quite vulnerable when they are at the surface from boat strikes, and they might migrate to areas where they are hunted, so if they are near the surface they are easy prey." While the whale shark is typically a very placid animal, people are putting themselves at risk by swimming with them.
"They don't utilise their teeth, so there's no fear of being bitten, but they are huge animals," Mr Norman said. "They aren't a vicious creature or one that seeks out confrontation, but they can defend themselves. "It only takes a flick of the tail, and if you're in the way you could potentially be knocked out."
But while getting close to whale sharks is not recommended, it is not actually illegal in most states. The Federal Government's Department of Environment has warned against interfering with whale sharks.
"While whale sharks are protected under national environmental law it is not an offence to interact in Commonwealth waters," a spokeswoman said. "Members of the public are discouraged from this kind of behaviour as it may result in stress or injury." Growing up to 12m long and reaching weights of more than 21 tonnes, whale sharks are the largest fish in the world. The animals feed largely on plankton and microscopic plants.
South Africans are privileged to enjoy regular whale shark encounters all the way up the KZN and Mozambique coastline, and we hope that all South African ocean users are better educated than their Aussie counterparts. The rule is ‘ look but don’t touch!’
South Africans are privileged to enjoy regular whale shark encounters all the way up the KZN and Mozambique coastline, and we hope that all South African ocean users are better educated than their Aussie counterparts. The rule is ‘ look but don’t touch!’
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