Tourists swam with whale sharks at a beach attraction in the Philippines.

Footage shows the visitors diving underwater five feet away from the marine creature in Cebu province, the Philippines on August 10.

The snorkellers took pictures with the large filter-feeding carpet sharks behind them as they searched for food.

Tourist Rodel Palarion said: ‘We arrived at 6am and waited for almost five hours before it was our turn to watch the whale sharks. There were so many people our queue number was 270.'

Whale shark watching in the Philippines, particularly in places like Oslob in Cebu, has become a popular tourist attraction. However, it is also controversial, as the animals were allegedly being fed by local fishermen to ensure they stayed in the area. The food provided to the whale sharks is not their natural diet, which may cause nutritional imbalances.

Whale sharks are the largest fish species in the world. Despite their name, they are not whales but belong to the shark family. They are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to risks posed by human activities.