GOBBLED UP
Horror moment kayaker is swallowed WHOLE by massive humpback whale before being spat out by 50ft, 50,000lb beast
The man has spoken out about the terrifying ordeal
THIS is horrifying moment a kayaker is swallowed whole and then spat out by a 50ft humpback whale.
Adrian Simancas and his dad Dell were kayaking in the choppy waters off the coast off Punta Arenas in Southern Chile on February 8, when the mammoth animal bit off more than he could chew.
12
12
12
Without warning, the 24-year-old who was calmly paddling the waves in his inflatable yellow kayak at around 3pm local time was suddenly engulfed by the jaws of the humpback whale.
The first sign of the 50,000lb beast was when part of its open mouth emerged from the water behind the oblivious kayaker.
With the force of the whale's jaws, Adrian tipped onto his left side and was taken into the depths by the closing mouth and torrent of water.
His anguished father who filmed the terrifying moment helplessly watched on before Adrian resurfaced after being spat out by the animal.
read more on shocking moments
Dell shouted to his shocked and panicking son telling him to remain calm and to use his kayak as a raft.
12
12
12
12
He could be heard saying: "Stay calm, stay calm, don’t get back into the boat, head for the shoreline, I’m coming."
As he paddled towards him while the whale disappeared from view, he continued to urge him: "Stay calm, grab my rope, grab my rope, if we head for the shore everything will be fine" before steering him away from the area.
Recalling the moment on a Chilean TV programme, Adrian who was unharmed in the incident said: "I saw something blue and white passing close to my face like on one side and on top but I didn’t understand what was happening.
Most read in The Sun
"The next minute I sank. I thought I had been eaten."
Dell, a 49-year-old Venezuelan-born anaesthetist who lives in Chile, added: "I turned round and I couldn’t see Adrian and that was the only real moment of panic.
Terrifying moment huge fin is spotted off UK coast sparking fears killer WHALES are lurking close to shores
"He disappeared for about three seconds and then shot out and that’s when I calmed down because I saw he was safe."
Dell who was also uninjured, revealed that rather than be deterred by the horrifying moment, it was actually a change in the weather that saw them cut the trip short and return to land.
The pair had gone on a Saturday morning trek before unpacking their inflatable kayaks from their backpacks to take to the freezing waters of the 350 mile-long Straits of Magellan.
The strait is considered the most important natural passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
12
12
12
It is believed that the whale mistook Adrian in his kayak for a fish that is part of its diet.
Despite the shock, the pair are already planning their next kayaking adventure, though admittedly with more precautions.
Experts have previously spoken out about the rarity of such an event with one saying the chances of being swallowed by a whale as "1-in-1 trillion."
It came after veteran US lobster diver Michael Packard ended up inside a humpback’s mouth for around 40 seconds off Provincetown, Massachusetts in June 2021.
Are humpback whales dangerous to humans?
Humpback whales can grow to as long as 50ft and weigh about 36 tons.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, their global population is about 60,000.
They feed in polar waters and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth.
Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish, and they usually use bubbles to catch prey.
Attacks on humans by humpback whales are extremely rare but their size and weight means interactions can be harmful.
They are solitary animals and will rarely be close enough to humans to cause any impact - positive or negative.
Humpback whales cannot physically eat a person due to their incredibly small throats and all their food is filtered through the baleen plates in their mouths which are in place of teeth.
Anything too large that enters the whale's mouth will be spat back out.
Jooke Robbins, the director of Humpback Whale Studies at the Centre for Coastal Studies in Provincetown told The Cape Cod Times that as humpback whales feed, their mouths open and billow out in a parachute-like manner, obstructing their vision.
Incidents of humpback whales injuring swimmers and divers are exceedingly rare, if not nonexistent Ms Robbins said, adding: “It is not something I have heard happening before”.
The incident left him with nothing more than a dislocated knee after spitting him out.
He gave the thumbs-up from his Cape Cod hospital bed afterwards as he he thought at first he had been attacked by a great white shark before “feeling around and realising there was no teeth.”
Michael, 45 at the time, added: “Then I realised: 'Oh my God, I'm in a whale's mouth and he's trying to swallow me. This is it, I'm going die’”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Admitting his thoughts turned to his wife and two boys then aged 12 and 15, he continued: “All of a sudden he went up to the surface and just erupted and started shaking his head.
"I just got thrown in the air and landed in the water. I was free and I just floated there. I can’t believe I’m here to tell it."
12
12
Topics