Divers engulfed in millions of sardines

Henri Paget -

It's the ultimate full body massage — diving head-on into a school of millions of sardines.

Filipino Jun Lao has posted video of his encounter with the massive swarms of fish while on a tour at Pescador Island in the Philippines.

In the video he and his diving buddies can be seen swimming in and out of thick clouds of fish, which rapidly twitch and change direction in unison.

Mr Lao told ninemsn the dive early this month was one of the most exciting experiences of his life.

"It was a transition of shapes, of shimmers and shadows, it was amazing, it was out of this world, literally, figuratively," the 34-year-old said.

"They swam inches away, engulfing you. There are moments you feel dizzy by their vast numbers and you don't know what's up from down."

But the confusion nearly led to disaster for one of his buddies, who was having trouble with her buoyancy compensator — a device scuba divers use to maintain a constant depth in the water.

"She blew an inflator hose, coupled with the swarms of sardines causing disorientation," he said.

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