‘Thought He’d Swallowed Me!’: Whale Gulps Kayaker in Chile, Spits Him Out

AFP | Santiago
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In an astonishing and rare encounter, a humpback whale briefly swallowed a kayaker in southern Chile, only to spit him out unharmed moments later, all of which was caught on video.

Adrian Simancas was paddling off the coast of Punta Arenas in Patagonia on Saturday when the massive baleen whale surged out of the water, engulfing both Simancas and his yellow kayak. Within five seconds, the kayaker surfaced, as the whale’s dorsal fin emerged from the cold waters, leaving Simancas stunned but unscathed.

“I thought he’d swallowed me!” Simancas exclaimed after emerging from the water.

The entire incident was recorded and quickly went viral after being posted by Simancas’ father, Dell, who can be heard on the video urging his son to “Relax! Relax!” and advising him to hold onto the kayak to stay afloat.

"Grab it, grab it," his father says, with the whale continuing to circle nearby. “Relax, relax, I’m coming,” he reassures his son. “Let’s go to shore.”

Simancas, 24, explained 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.”

His father, meanwhile, recalled the terrifying moment when he briefly lost sight of his son. “I didn’t see Adrian for like three seconds. That was the only moment of fear I really had,” Dell Simancas said. “Then suddenly, he shot out.”

Marine biologists, however, noted that it’s impossible for humpback whales to swallow humans as they have small throats. Experts believe the kayak was in the whale’s feeding patch, filled with krill or fish, which could explain the unusual behavior.

“It seems that the kayak was right in the whale’s feeding patch,” said marine biologist Maria Jose Perez of the University of Chile, “which is why it was seen emerging to the surface sideways, with its mouth open.”