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TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - For Ryan Winters, he never saw a whale shark before, let alone swam with one. But that all changed during over the weekend.
Winters was out spearfishing with a friend about 30 miles off the coast of Tampa Bay when they spotted the whale shark. Without hesitation, both dove into the water, which was about 80-feet deep, he said.
Winters said he initially hoped there would be cobia beneath it.
“When we realized there wasn't we decided to swim and hang out with him for a while,” he told FOX 13. “It was truly a gift to be able to see and experience something like that.”
Winters said their boat was a safe distance away from the whale shark. He recorded video of the incredible encounter and said they swam alongside the massive fish for nearly an hour.