This is the spectacular moment a female diver swam with a rarely seen herd of endangered whale sharks in the Philippines.

Mia del Rosario noticed at least five whale sharks swimming together as well as sea turtles and schools of fish during a diving session off the coast of Cebu City.

The ocean lover said: ‘At first I’m quite nervous and scared because those whale sharks were really huge and at the back of my mind I was concerned about being hit by their tails.

‘I am still learning about diving but I was able to conquer my fear and was able to swim with them without any doubt. It was indeed a special experience.’

Whale sharks are solitary creatures and tend to live most of their lives alone before mating when they turn 30-years-old. Groups of whale sharks have only rarely been seen.

Whale sharks are classed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species due to the impacts of fisheries, by-catch losses, and vessel strikes.