Monster whale shark in the Philippines stuns diver

For those lucky enough to have ever gone snorkeling, you know first-hand the excitement that comes from seeing a colorful school of fish in their natural habitat. Now multiply the intensity of that experience by about a thousand, and you get what happened recently to professional traveler, J Hawk Daily when he saw a whale shark in the wild.

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The globe-trotting adventurer made the incredible sighting on his Filipino dive in Donsol, which he claims was about a ten hour bus ride from Manila, the second most populous city in the Philippines. The particular region he visited is well known for their reliable interactions with the animals, where it is common for the whale sharks to come right up to the surface.

See a photo from his dive below:

The close encounter is documented from his video camera in the minute-long clip, and shows just how close he came to to the massive shark. You can see the spotted beast grazing his feet, an experience which he says was both exciting and terrifying.

Whale sharks, which in their adult life weight around 41,000 lbs, flourish in this area of the world. They are typically around 13-40 feet long, however the largest reported sighting of a whale shark has been over 55 feet. These massive slow-moving filter-feeding sharks are the largest known fish species in the world that aren't extinct. Luckily for J Hawk daily though, these creatures are gentle giants that make for a great photo op.

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