Adrian Simancas, a 24-year-old Venezuelan kayaker, has a story for the ages. While out on a kayaking trip with his dad in Chile’s Strait of Magellan—one of the world’s most popular whale-watching destinations—he was suddenly swallowed by a humpback whale. Despite the initial terror, the kayaker promptly emerged from the whale’s mouth unharmed. This nerve-wracking moment was captured on video by Simancas’ father, Dell.
The young kayaker was a few feet behind when his father noticed some “pretty waves that seemed exciting,” prompting him to start recording. However, these weren’t regular waves, but rather movement caused by a humpback whale, who breached and swallowed Simancas whole.
“When I turned around, I felt on my face like a slimy texture; I saw colors like dark blue, white, something approaching from behind that closed… and sank me,” the younger Simancas told CNN. “At that moment, I thought there was nothing I could do, that I was going to die, I didn’t know what it was.” Luckily, two seconds later he was back on the surface, piecing together what had just happened.
The moment was also quite harrowing for his dad, who heard a strong wave hitting behind him, only to look back and see his son was gone. “I didn’t see Adrián for three seconds and I got scared,” the older Simancas told TVN. “When I turn around, I don’t see anything, I don’t see Adrián. That was the only really scary moment I had, because I didn’t see him for like three seconds. And then all of a sudden he comes out like that, as if shot out.”
Although scary, the young man wasn’t in danger, according to Wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta. “The gentleman happened to be very close to the whale that was just going about feeding behavior. The man was not swallowed,” she told CNN. “These animals are not targeting human-sized prey. They don’t have the equipment to do what they need to do in order to devour a human.” Regardless of the whale’s intent, the kayaker says, “It was an amazing and terrifying experience at the same time.” Now, despite the scare, the father-son pair are ready and not afraid to get back kayaking.
While on an adventure with his father, 24-year-old Venezuelan kayaker Adrian Simancas was swallowed whole by a humpback whale, but promptly emerged from the whale’s mouth unharmed.
Watch Simancas and his dad, Dell, recount their harrowing experience on CNN:
Sources: Ballena jorobada traga y escupe a kayakista; tragado y escupido por una ballena; Humpback whale swallows and spits out kayaker in incident captured on camera; Habló el kayakista que fue engullido por una ballena en el sur de Chile: “Pensé que me había comido”
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