A father-son paddling duo had a terrifying encounter with a humpback whale off the coast of Chile last weekend. The whale suddenly emerged from beneath the water’s surface, appeared to swallow the son and his yellow boat whole, but then released him unharmed. Thankfully, Adrián Simancas survived the ordeal.
Simancas told the Associated Press that he thought he was dead after being engulfed by the whale, but once he freed himself, he realized it was likely out of curiosity or to communicate something. Humpback Whale Studies Program director Jooke Robbins suggests this might have been a case of mistaken identity, as whales feed by lunging through schools of fish and cannot physically swallow humans.
The incident occurred near the San Isidro Lighthouse in Chilean Patagonia, where kayakers are sometimes referred to as “pack rafters.” This is not an isolated incident; humpback whales have been known to accidentally engulf humans in the past. According to Peter Donohue, a kayak instructor and former publisher of California Kayaker, this has happened about every two years.
Donohue describes his interactions with humpbacks as awe-inspiring, but also emphasizes that the risk of such an incident is extremely low. The dramatic video of the event has gone viral, with many in the kayaking community marveling at the encounter and others sharing their own experiences with humpback whales.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lesliekatz/2025/02/14/whale-nearly-swallows-kayaker-in-viral-video—the-likely-reason-why