A huge whale shark balanced a snorkeler on its nose to take him for a ride.

Footage shows the friendly marine creature pushing a man up to the surface of the water in Oslob, Cebu province, the Philippines on June 6.

The animal let the man sit on his face for about five seconds before leaving the spot with the other whale sharks.

Delighted tourist Cris Cyril Tampus said: ‘We went there to watch the whales but one of them gave me a ride. It was a special moment for me.'

Oslob town has become a prime tourist spot for whale shark-watching activities, with an average of 120,000 visitors annually. But experts discourage the activity after a study showed that at least 95 per cent of the whale sharks observed in the area were scarred or injured in 2020.

Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world, reaching up to 60ft-long. They eat tiny plankton and other small marine organisms by swimming with their mouths open. They are known to be gentle giants and pose no threat to humans.