A shocking video shows a man jumping onto the back of a whale and riding the animal by holding its fin. The video was captured near the port city of Yanbu in Saudi Arabia, reports the Daily Mail.
In the footage, the man - identified as Zaki Al-sabahy - is seen sitting on a boat and watching whale sharks swimming past it. When one of the whales sidles up to the boat, he jumps off and lands on the animal's back. Then, holding on to its dorsal fin, he rides into the Red Sea.
"Careful, it can swallow you," one of Mr Al-sabahy's friends was heard shouting in the video, according to Ladbible, while another friend cheered him on. The footage was later uploaded on Twitter, where it has divided opinions.
Watch it below:
— عبدالله العلوني (@alalwaniabdulla) August 16, 2020
The video has collected 14,000 views on the microblogging platform, along with dozens of comments.
While some Twitter users praised the stunt, others criticised it as "reckless" and foolish.
The practice of riding whale sharks is not a new one. Videos of people riding these animals have emerged earlier as well. However, scientists and conservationists discourage it.
According to the National Geographic, the whale shark is the world's largest fish and can reach the length of 40 feet or more. Although massive, they also have a reputation of being docile - often allowing swimmers to hitch a ride on them, like this one did. Whale sharks are listed as 'endangered' on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List.
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