This diver is about to be swallowed by the world’s largest fish.
It’s most likely that the large shark was opening wide to eat plankton as it drifted by.
The largest fish in the sea are whale sharks, which can reach up to 42 feet.
They live for up to 70 years in generally tropical seas, paddling slowly through the oceans and feeding on plankton.
The beasts were photographed by 51-year-old underwater photography instructor Paul Duxfield off the Isla de Mujeres in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Paul, from Yorkshire, said: “In the summer, sharks migrate to the Yucatan Peninsula to consumevast quantities of plankton that is washed to the surface by deep-water upwellings.
“Sometimes, there may be as many as two hundred of the ‘living dinosaurs’ calmly going about their daily business.
“The first time you get up close with one, it makes you feel quite tiny, and I’m over 6 feet tall.
They appear to move slowly, but it’s deceptive; when they pass you or collide with you, it’s impossible not to recall how enormous and powerful they are. You’re drawn into the water’s flow.
“The students are consistently surprised by these sharks’ sheer size and scale and it’s all they can do to focus on their photographs.”
“We were especially fortunate on this particular day, as scientists had sent up a drone there were approximately 200 of them, but when you’re in the water with them, you just see the one or two that are really close to you because the plankton layer is thick.
“It’s mostly other snorkelers in the frame in these photos since we are only allowed to have two of us aboard at once.”
“However, it’s a fantastically enjoyable day out that anyone of any age may enjoy, happy in the knowledge that they are not seeing confined creatures.
“I’ve dived with the sharks many times, but the most memorable experiences are always had while snorkeling with them.
“The sightings are very uncommon in Mexico, where access to them is tightly controlled to avoid disturbing them too much. The excursions are well-planned. There aren’t hundreds of people crowding the sharks. ”
