In an incident that was caught on camera, a humpback whale swallowed a kayaker off Chilean Patagonia for a brief moment before swiftly releasing him without hurting him. It took place last Saturday in Bahía El Águila, close to the San Isidro Lighthouse in the Strait of Magellan.
A humpback whale off the coast of Chilean Patagonia momentarily ingested a kayaker before swiftly releasing him without causing any injury. The video footage of the incident became viral very fast.
In the Strait of Magellan, Adrián Simancas was kayaking with his father, Dell, last Saturday in Bahía El Águila, close to the San Isidro Lighthouse. A humpback whale surfaced and briefly engulfed Adrián and his yellow kayak before releasing him. While urging his son to remain composed, Dell, who was only meters (yards) away, recorded the incident on camera.
Adrian described what it was like to be momentarily swallowed by a humpback whale in an interview with CNN en Español. He said: “When I turned around, I felt on my face like a slimy texture; I saw colours like dark blue, white, something approaching from behind that closed… and sank me,” he said. “At that moment, I thought there was nothing I could do, that I was going to die, I didn’t know what it was.”
He explained the “terror” of those few seconds and said that his true fear didn’t come until he surfaced again when he feared that his father would be harmed by the enormous beast or that he would drown in the icy waters. Even though the encounter was terrible, Dell stayed focused, photographing and comforting his youngster while battling his anxiety.
“When I came up and started floating, I was scared that something might happen to my father too, that we wouldn’t reach the shore in time, or that I would get hypothermia,” Adrián said.
Adrián was swiftly helped after making it to his father’s kayak after a few seconds in the water. Both made it safely back to shore despite the scare.
The Strait of Magellan, a popular destination for adventure seekers in Chile’s Patagonia, is situated roughly 1,600 miles (3,000 km) south of Santiago, the country’s capital. For sailors, swimmers, and adventurers who try to traverse it in various ways, its icy waters present a challenge.
According to wildlife biologist Vanessa Pirotta, the kayaker was in the way of the humpback whale, which was probably lunge-feeding on fish or krill at the moment.
She said: “The gentleman happened to be very close to the whale that was just going about feeding behaviour. The man was not swallowed,”
“These animals are not targeting human-sized prey. They don’t have the equipment to do what they need to do to devour a human,” she said, pointing to their narrow oesophagus and lack of teeth.
Because of its wildlife, plants, and outdoor activities, the Strait of Magellan is a well-liked travel destination. Activities like kayaking with humpback whales and dolphins are promoted on the government’s tourism website.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states that humpback whales inhabit all of the world’s significant oceans. Because humpback whales are active on the surface and frequently jump out and slap the water with their pectoral fins or tails, the NOAA reports that they are a favourite among whale watchers.