This is the amusing moment a cheeky whale shark appeared to use its tail to give a diver a slap on her backside.

Footage shows the snorkeller in a white bikini being gently whipped by the large creature in Cebu province, the Philippines on March 29.

The diver Elyzza Marie Toledo said she was not hurt and it seemed like the whale shark was 'just being friendly'.

She said: 'I was not hurt. I was maintaining distance but I could not control the whale shark's movements of course. I think it was just being friendly.'

Elyzza added that she was with four other friends who went to see sardines but were greeted by the whale shark as a bonus.

She said: 'We only went there to watch a school of sardines but the whale shark came to greet us. It was really tame.'

Despite their massive size, whale sharks are slow-moving, plankton feeding creatures and are tame to humans and are completely safe to swim around with.