Robert Bostwick was out on his fishing boat off the coast of Venice Florida when he spotted a massive whale shark feeding. He jumped in the water and held the dorsal fin as the shark to him for a ride.
http://youtu.be/ZmFra24cO0I
Whale sharks are docile creatures, however due to their size; they can cause great harm to swimmers. In addition they have a protective “slime” coating their skin to protect from infection. Human interaction can disturb this slime and create issues for the fish.
Whale sharks are protected both in the state of Florida and federally and even though the act does raise eyebrows, in this case it was not illegal to “ride” the shark. Gary Morse spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said “generally we discourage interaction of that type with wildlife.”
Dr. Robert Hueter, director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota said “It’s best to maintain at least a six-foot distance for your safety and that of the shark” adding “Touching can disrupt the protective mucus on the skin and can disturb their feeding behavior.”
The scientists at Mote collect the coordinates of whale shark sighting to look for patterns in their movements. Dr. Hueter requests any new sightings in Gulf waters be reported, with GPS coordinates if possible ASAP to info@mote.org
In addition he added “If you are photographing a whale shark, you can support whale shark research by taking an underwater photo of the left side of its body above the pectoral fin. The spot pattern in this area can help scientists ID whale sharks.”
So given the chance would you ride a whale shark? Let me know in the comments.
