A man shamelessly jumped onto the back of a whale shark and attempted to ride it, clinging to its dorsal fin.
The horrific stunt took place in the Red Sea, near Yanbu city in Saudi Arabia, where Zaki Al-sabahy was on a boat with two other men, identified as Bader Al-Kabidi and Yasser Al-Rifai.
The video is filmed by one of the men and showed Zaki standing on the edge of the boat while a number of whale sharks swam around it, but instead of leaving them in peace, Zaki decided to get up close and personal with one of the massive fish.
Zaki appeared to be considering which shark to target, as he eyed up one swimming to the right of the boat before apparently changing his mind and going for one swimming on the left.
As the fish swims near the boat, Zaki jumped right onto its back before leaning forward on all fours and grabbing onto its dorsal fin to hold his balance.
The whale shark didn’t appear to retaliate, but it seemed to come to a stop after Zaki climbed on, apparently unimpressed about having the man as a passenger.
Bader and Yasser could be heard cheering towards Zaki after he rode the fish, though one of the men added, ‘Careful, it can swallow you.’
According to National Geographic, whale sharks are the largest type of shark, weighing about 20 tons and reaching lengths of 40 feet or more. They feed on plankton and are considered to be gentle species, but that doesn’t give humans a right to mess with them.
Whale sharks are considered endangered by the WWF due to a demand for their meat, fins, and oil, and while they are currently listed as a vulnerable species, they continue to be hunted in parts of Asia, such as the Philippines.
The video of Zaki riding one of the whale sharks was shared widely in Saudi Arabia, prompting some people to condemn the three men for their actions.
“Praise be to God, I see we have their names. I hope they will be arrested and held accountable for their reckless behavior,” one commenter said.
“I fully agree, they must be held accountable. One day you get an idiot standing on the back of a turtle while it’s laying its eggs, then the next day you get this guy standing on a whale passing peacefully by and terrifying it. They are destroying nature,” another commenter added.