A whale shark (Rhincodon typus) cruises beneath the surface, its outline bathed in refracted light, in Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua, Indonesia. #

A young fisherman, without mask, snorkel, or flippers jumps in with a whale shark as the behemoth passes by his bagan. #

Bagan fishermen have long considered whale sharks to be good luck charms, and keep them around by regularly tossing fish scraps into the water. #

A pair of whale sharks gulp huge mouthfuls of fishy water streaming off the bagan. #

A whale shark cruises just under the surface of Cenderawasih Bay. #

Golden trevallies (Gnathanodon speciosus) swim at the base of a whale shark’s dorsal fin. #

A whale shark surfaces beneath the Indonesian sailboat, the Damai, which served as the photographer’s home based while in Cenderawasih Bay. #

Juvenile golden trevallies ride in the slipstream in front of the whale shark’s mouth, seemingly piloting the giant through the water. #

A whale shark opens its mouth under the stream of fishy water that spills over the side of the fishermen’s bagan. #

A free-diver swims alongside a whale shark in Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia. #