Usually, whales have a history that they do not attack humans like Sharks do, but a recent viral video has proved it wrong. A humpback whale briefly swallowed a kayaker off Chilean Patagonia in Patagonia, South America. However, the giant fish released him unharmed. A chilling video of the incident caught on camera and went viral on the internet. The viral clip forced netizens to think about whether whales really attacked humans.
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The incident occurred on February 8, when Adrián Simancas was kayaking with his father, Dell, in Bahía El Águila near the San Isidro Lighthouse in the Strait of Magellan when a humpback whale came up on the water surface and swallowed Adrián with his yellow kayak for a few seconds before releasing him out of his jaw.
Humpback Whale Traps Kayaker in Its Mouth Off Chilean Coast
His father, witnessing the shocking event, recalled the terrifying experience in an interview with the news agency Associate Press (AP), "I thought I was dead. I thought it had eaten me, that it had swallowed me." Thankfully, Adrián emerged completely unharmed, a rare survivor of an encounter that few could ever imagine.
Dell, just meters (yards) away, captured the moment on video while encouraging his son to stay calm. “Stay calm, stay calm,” he can be heard saying after his son was released from the whale’s mouth. “I thought I was dead,” Adrián told The Associated Press. “I thought it had eaten me, that it had swallowed me.”
Despite the terrifying experience, Dell remained focused, filming and reassuring his son while grappling with his own worry. After a few seconds in the water, Adrián managed to reach his father’s kayak and was quickly assisted. Despite the scare, both returned to shore uninjured.