A Venezuelan kayaker had a terrifying brush with nature when a humpback whale momentarily engulfed him while he was paddling off the coast of Chilean Patagonia, Chile.
The incident, which was caught on camera by his father, has since gone viral. 
Adrián Simancas, 23, was kayaking in the Strait of Magellan near the San Isidro Lighthouse with his father, Dell Simancas, when the whale suddenly surfaced, enveloping him and his yellow kayak in its massive mouth.
Within seconds, the whale released him, leaving him shaken but unharmed.
Felt Slimy Texture Against His Face
Adrián described the surreal experience, recalling the moment he felt himself being pulled under.
“I spent a second realizing I was inside the mouth of something, that maybe it had eaten me, that it could have been an orca or a sea monster,” he told BBC.
He recalled feeling a slimy texture against his face, surrounded by darkness and white reflections. As panic set in, he tried to figure out his next move.
Fortunately, seconds later, he felt himself rising and realized the whale had let him go. As he floated, another fear set in—that his father could also be in danger or that he might suffer from hypothermia in the waters.
The Viral Footage
The dramatic encounter was recorded by Dell Simancas, Adrian’s father, who had mounted a camera on his kayak to record the rising waves. He was meters away from where Adrian was.
The footage showed the whale’s massive body emerging as it unintentionally engulfed Adrián, then quickly releasing him before retreating underwater.
According to the Associated Press, Dell could be heard urging his son to stay calm as the incident unfolded.
Additionally, he said, “I thought I was dead, I thought it had eaten me, that it had swallowed me.”
Why Did This Happen?
Marine expert Jooke Robbins, director of the Humpback Whale Studies Program at the Center for Coastal Studies, explained that the incident was likely accidental, Forbes reported.
Robbins suggested the whale may have unintentionally scooped up Adrián while feeding on fish near the surface. She added that, despite their size, humpbacks can’t swallow large objects like humans due to their narrow throats.
The humpback whale likely spat Adrian out once it realized its mistake.
Low Risks of Such Incidents
Although rare, incidents of humans being temporarily engulfed by whales, such as kayakers or divers, occur roughly every two years, with the individuals being released unharmed.
Despite these dramatic encounters, experts stress that the actual risk of such incidents is extremely low.
Watch the videos here:
@c4news A male kayaker was swallowed by a humpback whale off Chilean Patagonia before being released seconds later, unharmed. Adrián Simancas was kayaking with his father, who filmed this video as the massive mammal suddenly surfaced. The animal trapped Simancas and his yellow kayak in its mouth briefly, before letting him go. #Whale #Patagonia #Kayaking #Channel4News #C4News
@cnn Kayaker Adrián Simancas joins CNN’s Erin Burnett and describes the moment a humpback whale briefly swallowed him during a father-son excursion on the icy waters of the Strait of Magellan in Chile. #CNN #News
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