Captain's incredible video riding a 30ft whale shark - PHOTO+VIDEO

A Gulf charter captain has achieved one of his 'bucket list' dreams by riding on the back of a whale shark earlier this month.

Jamie Robert Bostwick climbed on to the back of the 30ft, 20-ton shark off the coast of Venice, Florida on June 6. He posted the video on his Facebook page to a mixed reaction on his ride with the shark, which is an endangered species. However, Mr Bostwick's actions are not illegal. Mr Bostwick wrote on Facebook: 'The whale liked us holding his fin stayed right next to boat . Holding his fin while free diving has been on my bucket list for years... he was super calm w all.'The video clip shows the blue-grey shark dotted with white spots gliding along the side of the boat.The captain leaps into the water and grabs a hold of its dorsel fin, before being dragged along by the powerful shark. His son then jumps off the boat to join him and they both swim beside the powerful creature before it glides off. Mr Bostwick said that the shark stayed for 20 minutes and allowed three people to swim with it.The whale shark is a docile creature which feeds on plankton. It is found in tropical and warm oceans and lives for about 70 years. It is listed as endangered by The World Wildlife Fund as their numbers are dwindling due to demand in some parts of the world for their meat and fins. Dr. Bob Hueter, director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory told WSTP: 'They can't hurt you but we can hurt them with too much contact.'Disturbing the protective layer of mucus on their skin can affect the whale shark's long-term health.(dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.az