Viral video: 19-year-old rides a whale shark, becomes YouTube star - Firstpost

Would you like to make Firstpost your default homepage?   Yes | No A 19-year-old US teen has become an Internet sensation after hitching a daring ride on the back of a massive 30 foot-long whale shark. Chris Kreis from Florida came face to face with a 22680kg whale shark while fishing in the Gulf of Mexico last week, then hopped on the animal's back and went for a spin. Kreis' YouTube video has drawn more than 100,000 views since he posted it last week. Screengrab from YouTube The incredible encounter happened 48.3km off the Captiva's coast, where the teen ran into the boat-sized fish, 'The Daily Telegraph' reported. Kreis jumped on the shark's back, grabbed hold of its fin and rode it for about 20 seconds. He later posted a video of his adventure on YouTube. "When I started holding on I felt the whale shark it started moving itself, it felt the drag and it didn't really want me on there so I let go and that's it," Kreis told local TV station NBC 2. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the sea reaching lengths of 40 feet or more, the report said. Kreis boasted on Facebook last week that his encounter with the critter was an "unbelievable experience". Kreis also however confessed that he had no idea that his actions could be harmful to the animals health. PTI Firstpost encourages open discussion and debate, but please adhere to the rules below, before posting. Comments that are found to be in violation of any one or more of the guidelines will be automatically deleted: Personal attacks/name calling will not be tolerated. This applies to comments directed at the author, other commenters and other politicians/public figures Please do not post comments that target a specific community, caste, nationality or religion. While you do not have to use your real name, any commenters using any Firstpost writer's name will be deleted, and the commenter banned from participating in any future discussions. 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