- A kayaker had a near-miraculous escape when a whale swallowed him.
- The whale briefly swallowed him before spitting him out unharmed.
- The incredible moment was captured on video and quickly went viral.
A kayaker in southern Chile had a near-miraculous escape when a humpback whale briefly swallowed him before spitting him out unharmed. The incredible moment was captured on video and quickly went viral.
Adrian Simancas was paddling off Punta Arenas on Saturday when the massive whale suddenly surfaced, engulfing him and his yellow kayak. Just five seconds later, he resurfaced, stunned, as the whale’s dorsal fin emerged nearby.
"I thought he'd swallowed me!" Simancas exclaimed.
His father, Dell Simancas, who filmed the event, can be heard shouting, "Relax! Relax!" before instructing his son, "Grab it, grab it," referring to the kayak to help him stay afloat.
Have a look at the viral video below:
The 24-year-old later described the surreal moment to Chile’s TVN channel: “I saw something blue and white passing close to my face… I didn't understand what was happening and then I sank. I thought it had eaten me.”
Marine biologist Maria Jose Perez explained that the whale likely did not see the kayak, as it was feeding. “These events are very rare and have happened in the presence of silent vessels, such as kayaks,” she noted. Experts reassured that humpbacks cannot swallow large objects due to their small throats.
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