Nature & Environment
Teenager Chris Kreis Hitches a Ride on a 30 Foot Whale Shark
Benita Matilda
First Posted: Jun 17, 2013 08:25 AM EDT
Chris Kreis, a 19-year-old native of Florida, has captured the headlines for his adventurous encounter with a 30-foot whale shark while he was out fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. The video of Kreis jumping out from his boat to take a ride on the 30-foot shark has gone viral on Youtube and has been viewed by 277,161 people.
On spotting the world's largest fish, Kreis grabbed the opportunity and jumped onto the whale shark's fin and rode on it for 20 seconds before it disappeared in the water. This journey of Kreis was recorded by his friends aboard the boat who later posted the video on Youtube.
"When I started holding on I felt the whale shark, it started moving itself, it felt the drag and it didn't really want me on there so I let go and that's it," Kreis was quoted in NBC2.
Kreis didn't violate any laws by hitching a ride on the whale shark as they are not endangered or a protected species. But a marine biologist Bruce Neill is not happy and says that it was not the right thing to do as he could have inadvertently injured the fish.
"When people spend a lot of time and pressure on a fish it takes away a slime that covers the fish. They need that layer to stay healthy," Neill said to NBC2.
He continued explaining that these fish feed only on plankton but their large size could have been dangerous for Kreis.
Whale sharks are slow moving and extra large fish that grow to more than 40 feet in length. They live in the open sea have a lifespan of not more than 70 years.
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First Posted: Jun 17, 2013 08:25 AM EDT
Chris Kreis, a 19-year-old native of Florida, has captured the headlines for his adventurous encounter with a 30-foot whale shark while he was out fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. The video of Kreis jumping out from his boat to take a ride on the 30-foot shark has gone viral on Youtube and has been viewed by 277,161 people.
On spotting the world's largest fish, Kreis grabbed the opportunity and jumped onto the whale shark's fin and rode on it for 20 seconds before it disappeared in the water. This journey of Kreis was recorded by his friends aboard the boat who later posted the video on Youtube.
"When I started holding on I felt the whale shark, it started moving itself, it felt the drag and it didn't really want me on there so I let go and that's it," Kreis was quoted in NBC2.
Kreis didn't violate any laws by hitching a ride on the whale shark as they are not endangered or a protected species. But a marine biologist Bruce Neill is not happy and says that it was not the right thing to do as he could have inadvertently injured the fish.
"When people spend a lot of time and pressure on a fish it takes away a slime that covers the fish. They need that layer to stay healthy," Neill said to NBC2.
He continued explaining that these fish feed only on plankton but their large size could have been dangerous for Kreis.
Whale sharks are slow moving and extra large fish that grow to more than 40 feet in length. They live in the open sea have a lifespan of not more than 70 years.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone