A near-death encounter: young man swallowed and spat out by a humpback whale

Friday 14 February 2025 - 12:20

By: Dakir Madiha

A near-death encounter: young man swallowed and spat out by a humpback whale

A 23-year-old man had an extraordinary brush with nature when a humpback whale briefly swallowed him before spitting him back out, allowing him to recount the harrowing yet surreal experience. The incident occurred while he was rafting with his father in the southernmost tip of Chile.

Captured on video by his father, the dramatic footage has since gone viral across social media and South American news outlets. Adrian Simancas, the young man at the heart of the story, was engulfed by the massive whale for about ten seconds before resurfacing in the turbulent waters of the Strait of Magellan near Punta Arenas.

The amateur video shows the alarming moment when Adrian disappears into a swirling vortex created by the whale’s enormous jaws. Moments later, he is seen emerging from the water alongside his small raft, visibly shaken but alive, before being rescued by his father.

"I was inside its mouth," Adrian recounted to local media. Reflecting on the surreal experience, he described it as "unforgettable, poetic, and revitalizing," with a touch of irony in his tone.

Adrian recalled the seconds leading up to the encounter: "At first, I thought it was just a wave… I saw something between blue and white approaching me. I thought I was dead, convinced an animal had devoured me. I thought it was over until my life jacket pushed me back to the surface."

Upon being expelled by the whale, Adrian was overcome with fear as he bobbed in the water. "I was terrified of sinking again or that the whale might suddenly leap," he admitted.

Both Adrian and his father eventually managed to reach the shore, where they began exhibiting symptoms of hypothermia. Despite the ordeal, the pair escaped without serious injuries.

According to National Geographic, the anatomy of humpback whales makes it impossible for them to swallow a human, as their throats are too narrow. However, incidents like this can occur when these massive marine mammals open their mouths wide to feed on schools of fish or other marine organisms, inadvertently trapping a person in their jaws. Typically, the individual is expelled unharmed, as the whale is unable to ingest them.

This extraordinary encounter serves as a reminder of the unpredictable power and majesty of the natural world, leaving Adrian with a story few others could ever hope—or fear—to tell.