Watch: Incredible footage of basking sharks swimming beside kayak in West Cork this morning 

The gentle giants of the ocean can be seen enjoying the waters of West Cork at the moment

Photographer Dan Lettice caught this incredible footage of a basking shark of the coast of West Cork this morning.

A West Cork wildlife photographer captured the magnificence of basking shark as they swam beside kayaker Peter Cleary at Red Strand this morning. In the footage a huge basking shark swims alongside the kayak, showing the immense size of the sharks. 

Dan Lettice (@intothewildireland) says that while he hasn't had the privilege of swimming with the sharks just yet, they are docile enough to make him want to. 

Basking sharks are the world's second-largest fish and can be seen feeding on plankton off the Irish coast between April and August. These gentle giants can grow up to 10-12 metres and weigh up to 3-4 tonnes. 

The Irish Basking Shark Network urges us swimmers, boaters and kayakers to "social distance" from the sharks so as not to scare them or disrupt their feeding pattern.