A kayaker in southern Chile had a shocking close call when a humpback whale briefly swallowed him—along with his kayak—before spitting him back out unharmed.
Adrian Simancas was paddling near Punta Arenas when the massive whale suddenly breached and engulfed him and his bright yellow kayak. Within seconds, he resurfaced, visibly shaken but uninjured, as the whale’s dorsal fin reappeared in the frigid waters.
“I thought it had already eaten me and swallowed me!” Simancas said in an AFP report.
Humpback whale swallows kayaker off Chile before releasing him. pic.twitter.com/UuUatMGUxN
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 13, 2025
The incredible moment was caught on video by his father, Dell Simancas, who was nearby and can be heard in the footage urging his son to stay calm. “Relax! Relax!” he shouted, before instructing him to hold onto the kayak and head back to shore.
The incident has since gone viral on social media, leaving viewers in awe of both the kayaker’s escape and the sheer power of nature.
