Lamay Island

We need something positive about whales.

So although this is a shark, technically, have you seen the close encounter that divers had in Xiaoliuqiu around Taiwan with a spotted whale shark? We have a video up about it on the RTI English YouTube channel, as well as on our Instagram.

That's right, we have an Instagram account that we post regularly on, so please feel free to follow us so you can see all of the amazing updates going on in and around Taiwan.

While you'll definitely have to look at the video to see just how beautiful and truly majestic the animal really is, and strangely friendly, I'll give you a bit of a summary here.

So a rare whale shark sighting off of Xiaoliuqiu has divers around the country absolutely in a frenzy, and Taiwan is now offering rewards for people who can help identify these distinctive spotted giants.

A roughly 4-meter-long whale shark was recently spotted swimming near divers off of the island of Xiaoliuqiu, giving visitors a rare chance to see the gentle giant up close.

Its distinctive pattern of spots, unique to each whale shark, much like human fingerprints, has also given researchers a chance to add another individual to Taiwan's growing database.

A local diving instructor in Xiaoliuqiu named Li Xiang said it's the kind of thing you usually see abroad.