A man kayaking off the coast of Chilean Patagonia experienced a heart-stopping moment when he was briefly caught in the mouth of a humpback whale.
The dramatic incident, which occurred on Saturday in the Strait of Magellan, was captured on video by the kayaker’s father, Dell Simancas. The footage, which quickly went viral, shows the massive whale surfacing suddenly, engulfing Adrián Simancas and his kayak before both reappeared moments later.
In the video, Dell Simancas can be heard shouting, “Grab the boat!” as his son clung to his kayak and swam toward him. Recalling the terrifying moment, Adrián Simancas told the Associated Press, “I thought it had eaten and swallowed me. At first, I even thought it was a killer whale because we had just been talking about orcas moments before.”
The whale resurfaced just a few feet away, heightening Simancas’ fear as he worried about his father’s safety and the risk of hypothermia in the frigid waters. Thankfully, both men made it safely back to shore without injury.
Reflecting on his escape, Simancas later said, “When I got out, I realized the whale likely approached out of curiosity or to communicate something. Initially, I felt terror because I thought there was nothing I could do.”
Wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta explained the whale’s behavior, telling CNN that it was likely engaged in “lunge feeding”—a feeding strategy used to scoop up krill or fish—when it unintentionally caught the kayaker in its path. Pirotta reassured that humpback whales are not capable of swallowing humans due to their anatomy, noting, “They don’t have the equipment to devour a human.”
The extraordinary encounter, which ended without harm, left Simancas both shaken and in awe of the immense power of nature.
