Ocean Conservation Administration

Li said they were thrilled to see the shark, with some describing the experience as feeling like they had suddenly been transported overseas.

Whale sharks are protected wildlife in Taiwan, and the Ocean Conservation Administration is building a database that uses their individual spot patterns to identify and track them.

Divers and other members of the public can help by photographing the left side of any whale shark they encounter while keeping at least three meters away.

Thankfully, everybody in the video kept a safe distance and nobody tried to lunge forward or touch the animal.

So in general, don't touch.

Look, but don't touch.

So for the photos to be useful to this Ocean Conservation Administration database, they should show the shark's head and chest along with the pattern extending from the fifth gill slit to the rear edge of the pectoral fin.

Photos submitted through the administration's official platform may even qualify for authorization fees of up to 4,000 NT dollars or about $126 per submission.