Fisherman spots whale shark feeding on plankton off coast of Sarasota

SARASOTA, Fla. - First, a fisherman spotted a line of plankton near Sarasota, then, to his surprise, a whale shark breached the surface.

"That's wild!" said Brad Ward, who was offshore fishing about 26 miles from New Pass. He quickly started capturing video of the encounter.

 "He's soaking in this line of plankton here," Ward said in the video. "He's soaking it up."

It's not unusual for whale sharks to make their presence known near Tampa Bay. They are usually seen between March and June – and have been spotted for several years.

READ: Yearly tradition of whale shark sightings off Anna Maria Island continues

In early June 2018, there were two sightings of a whale shark off Anna Maria Island. A few days later, vacationers spotted a large whale shark in the same area.

Five days later, boaters got an underwater look at a whale shark off St. Pete Beach.

One year and three days later, a FOX 13 viewer captured underwater video of a whale shark in the same spot.

And in June 2019, a fisherman saw a whale shark off Clearwater Beach.

It’s unclear whether the whale shark might be the same one, year after year, but the sightings are a sign whale sharks are able to thrive in the waters off Tampa Bay.