It’s red snapper season, and that means novice anglers are boarding charter boats like the Daisy Mae in Clearwater Beach for all day tours to catch what they can.
But earlier this week, when the Daisy Mae set sail for the catch of the day, it came back with one massive fish tale.
About 40 miles off the coast of Clearwater, the ship came across a school of whale sharks. They’re the largest fish in the sea and there were four of the massive creatures right off the bow.
Deckhands Alex White and Trevor Harris took the lifetime opportunity to jump ship and swim with docile fish.
“It was surreal,” says Trevor.
“There’s not many things that are comparable to it, really," Alex said. "It’s scary, but at the same time, really, really exciting.”
The swim lasted for nearly 30 minutes and was all captured on camera. It’s also captured the attention of whale shark enthusiasts who say one of the sharks Trevor was swimming with has never been cataloged. So he gets the honor of naming it.
The name he chose is “Cthulhu,” a fictional sea creature that takes different forms.