Florida Man Hitches Ride on a 30-Foot-Long Whale Shark [VIDEO]

A Florida charter captain did not hesitate to grab on to the back of a shark whale and go for a spin as the shark swam past his boat. This adventurous ride was caught on film.

The encounter with the 30-foot-long shark occurred on June 6 when charter captain James Bostwick was with his family 16.5 miles off Venice.  Bostwick saw the shark near his boat and jumped into the water and grabbed a fin at the back and rode along for  nearly 30 seconds.

The video of this adventurous ride was later posted on his Facebook page commenting 'Me and whale shark, one less on my bucket check list'. In the video one can see as Bostwick is carried away from the boat, he turns and flashes a thumbs-up sign. This video created a stir among viewers who were worried that the whale shark was being hurt. But this sort of a stunt is not illegal, according to reports TV station WTSP.

 Bob Hueter, director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory, in an interview with the station, said that whale sharks are protected and cannot be trapped or harassed. It is safe to swim with this animal at a distance of  6 feet and though it is not illegal to touch them, it is always recommended to stay far from this animal.

"They can't hurt you, but we can hurt them with too much contact," Hueter told WTSP. "The problem with touching them is they have a mucous layer on the skin that is disturbed when touched, (so) too much it can compromise the health of the animal in the long run."

It was not just Bostwick who enjoyed the ride with the shark. There were three others who hitched a ride on the shark's back.

Bostwick says, "The whale shark was as curious about us as we were about it. This was one of the most special things he could have done in the water. I'm the very lucky one of the luckiest guys out on the water."