An enormous whale shark lurks beneath a floating tourist boat in this stunning footage capturing the moment from both above and below the water.

The huge 8-metre-long creature – the world’s largest species of fish – appeared to dwarf the small vessel as it loomed beneath the surface of the waves, in a scene reminiscent of the Jaws film poster.

The exhilarating moment was captured in April 2022 by ocean and wildlife photographer Alex Kydd, who came just metres from the whale shark on the Ningaloo Reef off the west coast of Australia.

“I'm always looking for unique shots and, in this instance, we were very lucky to witness this large whale shark that seemed very curious about the boat," the photographer said afterwards.

Despite its seemingly terrifying presence beneath the boat above, whale sharks are considered completely harmless, and are often referred to as gentle giants.

Whale sharks are generally docile fish which sometimes even allow swimmers to hitch a ride.

An enormous whale shark lurks beneath a floating tourist boat in these extraordinary images which capture the jaw-some moment from both above and below the surface of the water.



The huge 8-metre-long creature – the world’s largest species of fish – appeared to dwarf the small vessel as it loomed beneath the surface of the waves, in a scene reminiscent of the Jaws film poster.



The exhilarating moment was captured by ocean and wildlife photographer Alex Kydd, who came just metres from the whale shark on the Ningaloo Reef off the west coast of Australia, last week (25/04).



Alex, 31, said: “I'm always looking for unique shots and, in this instance, we were very lucky to witness this large whale shark that seemed very curious about the boat.



“The shark seemed very interested in the boat and us as we swam around in the water close to it for around 45 minutes.



“I was stoked to see I had captured a variety of images showcasing the encounter. These are the best encounters you can have with whale sharks and aren't typical.”



Alex, from Melbourne, Australia, was on a Whale Shark Tour with Coral Bay Ecotours at the time when the creature, around the size of an American school bus, appeared.



He is aware that there were several whale sharks in the area at the time, but he saw only this one as it emerged from the depths of the ocean.



But despite its seemingly terrifying presence beneath the boat above, Alex insists whale sharks are completely harmless, and are often referred to as gentle giants.



He said: “There’s no reason to be scared as they are completely harmless. I've swam with them for years.



“You need the right equipment and experience to attempt a half in half out shot so I am particularly pleased with how the images turned out.”



Whale sharks are slow-moving, filter feeders which can grow up to 12-metres in length and weigh around 18 tonnes.



They have up to 300 rows of teeth and eat mainly plankton and plants, which they scoop up with their colossal gaping mouths while swimming close to the water’s surface.



Whale sharks populate tropical seas due to preferring warmer waters and are generally docile fish which sometimes allow swimmers to hitch a ride.