In a remarkable turn of events, Captain Sam Katona of Hawgwild Charters captured breathtaking footage of an unexpected visitor during a routine fishing excursion off the coast of Florida.Watch the encounter in the video player aboveOn Tuesday, while leading a group 50 miles from Bonita Beach for a day of yellowtail fishing, Katona and his crew were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with a whale shark.”I mean, that was without a doubt the coolest thing I’ve seen in the 10 years of doing this out there,” Katona said.The encounter unfolded when one of the regular passengers aboard Katona’s boat spotted the massive creature. “I went into the cabin on the boat to get some more tackle, and one of my regular guys in the back of the boat goes, ‘Wow, look at the size of that thing!’ And I didn’t think much of it. And so, I turned around and looked at it. Oh my gosh! You know it’s a whale shark. I’ve never seen one before here,” Katona said.Estimating the gentle giant to be approximately 30 feet in length, Katona described being “speechless” at the sheer size of the whale shark.”Oh was super super mellow! You would not have known it was there unless you were looking at it,” he said. “You know, it just crept right up on us, and then he stayed there for about 45 minutes.”Bill D’Antuono, captain for Offshore Naples Charters, shared his insights on encountering whale sharks, emphasizing the rarity and uniqueness of such an experience.”I would say it’s very rare to see one. I mean, if you spend enough time on the water, you’re going to end up seeing one, but that’s why we go out there to see all kinds of stuff you can’t see on land,” D’Antuono said.Whale sharks are currently in the midst of their annual migration along the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, making this the perfect time to witness these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.
In a remarkable turn of events, Captain Sam Katona of Hawgwild Charters captured breathtaking footage of an unexpected visitor during a routine fishing excursion off the coast of Florida.
Watch the encounter in the video player above
On Tuesday, while leading a group 50 miles from Bonita Beach for a day of yellowtail fishing, Katona and his crew were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with a whale shark.
“I mean, that was without a doubt the coolest thing I’ve seen in the 10 years of doing this out there,” Katona said.
The encounter unfolded when one of the regular passengers aboard Katona’s boat spotted the massive creature. “I went into the cabin on the boat to get some more tackle, and one of my regular guys in the back of the boat goes, ‘Wow, look at the size of that thing!’ And I didn’t think much of it. And so, I turned around and looked at it. Oh my gosh! You know it’s a whale shark. I’ve never seen one before here,” Katona said.
Estimating the gentle giant to be approximately 30 feet in length, Katona described being “speechless” at the sheer size of the whale shark.
“Oh [the whale shark] was super super mellow! You would not have known it was there unless you were looking at it,” he said. “You know, it just crept right up on us, and then he stayed there for about 45 minutes.”
Bill D’Antuono, captain for Offshore Naples Charters, shared his insights on encountering whale sharks, emphasizing the rarity and uniqueness of such an experience.
“I would say it’s very rare to see one. I mean, if you spend enough time on the water, you’re going to end up seeing one, but that’s why we go out there to see all kinds of stuff you can’t see on land,” D’Antuono said.
Whale sharks are currently in the midst of their annual migration along the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, making this the perfect time to witness these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.
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