A man has told how he survived the frightening moment he was swallowed by a huge whale and then spat out by the creature – making him think he’d been eaten.
Adrian Simancas was kayaking with his father, Dell, when the massive mammal rose from the sea and gobbled him up, in shocking scenes caught on camera. Musician Adrian, 24, said: “I didn’t understand what was happening, I thought it had eaten me.
“It’s a tale that seems like fiction. I lived to tell it.” The drama unfolded while the pair were on a trekking and packrafting trip when they arrived in the Strait of Magellan of southern Chile, The Mirror reports.
They were bobbing around in the sea when the humpback whale suddenly emerged from the water – and the video showed the sea beast seeming to swallow Adrian whole.
Thankfully, he and his raft bobbed back to the surface after several seconds. Adrian’s dad calls out to him, repeatedly telling him to “relax” and “hold onto” his raft. He can be heard reassuring his son: “I’m coming.”
While clutching his overturned raft, Adrian grabs hold of his dad’s canoe and the pair make their way back to shore. Venezuelan anaesthesiologist Dell, 49, added: “I heard a loud sound and when I turned around, my son had already vanished.
“Fortunately, Adrian quickly returned to the surface and although he was in shock, he did not suffer any serious injuries.” Last month Brits were left with awe when a humpback whale was spotted playing off the coast of the UK.
Thrill seekers jumped in and out of the sea while the whale frolicked. A crowd of people could not believe their eyes as they gathered at the seafront to watch the majestic mammal playing.
As they watched on, the beautiful whale – identified by many as a humpback owing to its large front flippers – breached several times as it swam past the coast of Hastings, East Sussex.
It was caught on video by Kitty Dale. Several people commented on a video shared on Facebook. One said: “It’s possible it’s the same one seen at Rye Harbour earlier today. If so, it’s a Humpback Whale. Looks very healthy with all those breaches. Good luck to it.”
Another added: “My three-year-old son saw this today while we were on the bus. He told me there was something in the water, but I did not see it.” Another delighted eyewitness added: “This was absolutely amazing! I can’t believe I saw the whales.”
Although found throughout the world’s oceans, sightings of humpback whales are sporadic around the UK. When they are seen here it is usually around the Shetland Isles and the Hebrides.