NAPLES, Fla. — A diver captured video of a whale shark circling an abandoned radio tower in the Gulf of Mexico about 40 miles off the coast of Marco Island this weekend.
Bill D’Antuono of Naples swam for about 20 minutes with the plankton-eating behemoth as it coasted around the former U.S. Air Force tower before heading back out into deeper waters.
Dozens of cobia and amberjack, who flock to the tower, began traveling with the friendly giant.
It’s not unheard of for whale sharks to travel closer to shore in the warmer months, but sightings are rare.
It’s the second whale shark D’Antuono had ever seen.
“It’s just really rare,” he said. “I can’t believe I was able to spend like 20 minutes filming it.”
