Nineteen-year-old Chris Kreis, from Florida, was fishing in the Gulf of Mexico when a nine-meter-long whale shark appeared, swimming next to the boat in which the young man was with a friend, American media reported.
Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Chris jumped into the water and grabbed one of the biggest fish in the world by the fins. He rode the whale shark for about 20 seconds, after which he returned to the boat.
"When I caught her she started moving. She felt a pull and she didn't want me on her back, so I soon let her go," the young man told NBC2, adding that he also saw two bull sharks in the same area, which belong to into the most aggressive and dangerous species of these fish.
"So I hurried back to the ship," he said.
A friend of Chris filmed the whole adventure and uploaded the video to YouTube.
Whale sharks are considered the gentle giants of the ocean. They are neither an endangered nor a protected species, so the young man did not break any laws, said biologist Bruce Neal, adding that it was still a good idea to ride a whale shark.
"When people press the fish, they remove the protective layer that is covering them. They need that layer to stay healthy," added Neal.
After learning this, Chris said that he would behave differently in the future.
"I would jump again if I saw one, but next time I won't touch it," he promised.
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