A humpback whale briefly swallowed a kayaker in the Strait of Magellan before quickly releasing him unharmed, an incident caught on video that has since gone viral, according to the Associated Press.
Adrián Simancas was kayaking with his father, Dell, last Saturday in Bahía El Águila near the San Isidro Lighthouse when the massive whale suddenly surfaced. The animal engulfed Adrián and his bright yellow kayak for a few seconds before letting him go.
Dell, who was just a few meters away, recorded the entire event while reassuring his son. “Stay calm, stay calm,” he can be heard saying in the video after Adrián resurfaced.
“I thought I was dead,” Adrián told the Associated Press. “I thought it had eaten me, that it had swallowed me.”
He described the brief but terrifying experience, saying his real fear set in only after he resurfaced, worrying that his father might also be in danger or that he might not make it back to shore before suffering from hypothermia.
Despite witnessing his son disappear into the whale’s mouth, Dell remained composed, filming and offering words of reassurance while managing his concern.
“When I came up and started floating, I was scared that something might happen to my father too, that we wouldn’t reach the shore in time, or that I would get hypothermia,” Adrián said.
Although rare, incidents of marine mammals unintentionally engulfing people have been documented, often when animals are feeding near the surface.
The event has sparked widespread fascination online, with many viewers comparing it to biblical or cinematic tales of survival.
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