In a jaw-dropping and rare event, 24-year-old Adrián Simancas Jaimes lived to tell a story straight out of a fantasy tale: he was swallowed and then spat out by a humpback whale while kayaking in El Águila Bay, near Punta Arenas, southern Chile. The incident, caught on video by his father, quickly went viral, leaving the world in awe.
The Shocking Encounter
It all started when Adrián, an IT technician and independent musician, felt a sudden blow to his back that knocked him off his inflatable kayak. Before he could react, he was engulfed into a dark, wet cavity. Inside the whale, he heard strange sounds and felt a powerful suction. Moments later, he was violently ejected back to the surface, realizing he’d been in the mouth of a humpback whale.
While not financially related, this is an unusual whale swallowing a kayaker and spitting them out. pic.twitter.com/VSiZQGmm8u
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) February 14, 2025
“At first, I thought I’d been completely swallowed, though I didn’t know what it was. When I surfaced, I understood it was a whale. I also knew there wasn’t much danger unless it started jumping or knocked my dad out of his boat—that would’ve made things much harder,” Adrián explained.
Why Did It Happen?
Humpback whales, known for their spectacular jumps and melodic songs, feed using a technique called “lunge feeding.” They open their massive mouths to capture large volumes of water and food, like plankton and small fish. It’s possible the whale mistook the inflatable kayak for a school of fish or plankton, accidentally swallowing Adrián in the process.
Despite their colossal size—up to 19 meters long and weighing 48 tons—humpback whales have relatively narrow throats, preventing them from swallowing large objects like humans. This explains why Adrián was quickly expelled unharmed.
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Other Similar Cases: Is Being Swallowed by a Whale Common?
While extremely rare, Adrián’s case isn’t the only one. In 2021, Michael Packard, a U.S. diver, experienced a similar incident in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, when he was swallowed by a humpback whale during a dive. Like Adrián, he was spat out shortly after, unharmed but deeply shaken.
These incidents highlight the importance of understanding whale behavior and respecting their space in the ocean. While generally peaceful and not a threat to humans, their feeding habits can lead to accidental encounters.
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What Does It Feel Like to Be Inside a Whale?
Adrián recalls the experience with a mix of awe and humor.
“I thought I was going to die, that I’d been eaten. When I surfaced, I was scared I wouldn’t make it back to shore. When my dad reached me, I knew everything would be okay,” he shared.
Despite the fear, the experience hasn’t deterred Adrián from his love of water sports. He plans to return to kayaking next year when weather permits, an activity he started in 2024 with his father in southern Venezuela.
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An Unforgettable Encounter with Nature
Adrián Simancas Jaimes’ story will go down as one of the most astonishing and rare ocean encounters ever recorded. Not only did he survive a close encounter with one of the planet’s largest animals, but he also shared his tale with humor and bravery, inspiring others to explore the natural world with respect and caution.
This article was originally written in Spanish by Natalia Rodríguez in Ecoosfera.