Close encounters of the giant kind: Diving with a whale shark

Whale sharks are gentle giants (much like the basking shark), and in this Earth Touch video, we get to see one up close as a cameraman narrates his surprise swim with the planet’s biggest fish. How big? Whale sharks are as big as a bus: 18 to 32.8 ft (5.5 to 10 m)…

And though whale sharks are carnivores, the Earth Touch cameraman didn’t have to worry about his safety:

The whale shark is a filter feeder – one of only three known filter feeding shark species (along with the basking shark and the megamouth shark). It feeds on macroalgae, plankton, krill, Christmas Island red crab larvae and small nektonic life, such as small squid or vertebrates. It also feeds on small fish and the clouds of eggs and sperm during mass spawning of fish… Despite its size, the whale shark does not pose significant danger to humans.

Update: Enjoy another beautifully filmed video with Whale Sharks, this time in Indonesia’s Cenderawasih Bay. Earth Touch swims with local fisherman as these colossal creatures feed on small fish and bycatch:

Watch more shark videos and more videos from Earth Touch.