Recently, Enrique Gil got star-struck!

But it wasn't because of a fellow celebrity.

The STAGES talent, together with his mom Bambie and brother Javy, had an encounter with butandings or whale sharks—considered the largest fish in the world—in Oslob, Cebu.

Enrique happily described, “There were about 14 butandings. Some were big, some were smaller, while some are friendlier.

"They come close to our boats with the boatmen feeding them with small shrimp called uyap.”

Mommy Bambie adds, “These gentle and docile creatures, although they look already big if you are viewing them from on top the boat, take a different perspective when you go into the water with goggles.

"Then they really become intimidating in size as they seem enormous.

"Their skin is tough and sandpaper-like, exactly like that of a shark, and you can only stroke them one way... If you stroke them back the other way, you risk having the skin being removed from your hand as it is very abrasive, as what happened to one of our companions.”

All in all, the family spent two hours with the whale sharks.

And one word to describe their experience: Awesome!

Enrique Gil is seen everyday in ABS-CBN's Princess & I. He's also currently shooting his second Star Cinema flick The Reunion.