A 23-year-old man and his father were packrafting through the Strait of Magellan in Patagonia, Chile, when a humpback whale suddenly lunged from the waves below. The kayaker was briefly “swallowed” by the whale’s mouth before being spat out, leaving him shaken but unharmed.
The incident occurred near the San Isidro Lighthouse and Bahía El Águila campground, where the pair had been paddling for a four-day trek. The father, Dell Simancas, captured the entire event on video, showing how his son was engulfed by the whale’s mouth before being pulled back up to the surface.
Humpback whales are filter feeders that cannot swallow anything as large as a person. However, scientists say such encounters between humans and whales are extremely rare. According to experts, it is likely that the kayaker was simply in the way of the whale while feeding on small fish or krill at the surface.
Chile’s Ministry of Environment and Sernapesca, the country’s fisheries service, have warned people to maintain a prudent distance from marine life to avoid interfering with their behavior and minimize the risk of accidents. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of respecting whales and other marine animals in their natural habitats.
Adrián Simancas, who had never seen a whale before the incident, expressed gratitude that he was not seriously injured. He hopes that if such an encounter happens again, it will be farther away next time.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/world/americas/whale-swallowed-man-chile.html