Off the coast of Chile, an ordinary kayaking trip quickly became an extraordinary experience for Adrián Simancas. As he paddled along the waters of the Strait of Magellan on February 8th, something massive struck him from behind, sending him soaring into the air. Just a split second later, an enormous humpback whale breached the surface, engulfing both Adrián and his kayak in one swift motion. Both kayaker and kayak were completely in the mouth of the whale!
This intense moment unfolded off the shore of the Chilean Patagonia, near the San Isidro Lighthouse. Adrián had been kayaking alongside his father, Dell, when the unimaginable happened. Dell glanced back, only to find that his son along with his bright yellow kayak had vanished. Minutes before, he had started filming, capturing the massive waves crashing around Adrián—completely unaware that they were caused by a huge whale underneath the surface. The frigid waters of the Strait of Magellan, causing hypothermia to be contracted within minutes of exposure, added to the stress of the situation.
After being completely swallowed by the whale, Adrián and his kayak resurfaced within seconds. The whale had spat the man and the kayak back out! Dell, though shaken, urged his son to stay calm and immediately paddled back toward him, even though the whale was still nearby. Adrián later recalled the moment to The Associated Press, admitting, “I thought I was dead. I thought it had eaten me, that it had swallowed me.” Though terrified while inside the whale, his real fear set in as he bobbed in the icy water, worrying for his father’s safety and wondering if they would both make it back to shore alive.
Against all odds, both Adrián and his father were able to return to shore unscathed. While Adrián believes the whale was simply curious, marine experts like Dr. Jooke Robbins, a humpback specialist, think the kayaker was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dr. Robbins suggested that the whale was likely feeding on krill and small fish, and Adrián just happened to be in its path. “My guess is that the whale was just as surprised as the kayaker,” he told NPR, explaining that such a brief and unintentional encounter is more common than people think.
Whale conservation expert Dr. Iain Kerr, CEO of Ocean Alliance, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the rarity of such an incident. He explained that humpbacks’ large mouths are designed for filtering food, not for swallowing anything large, like a human. With throats about the size of a human fist, attempting to swallow a person would be dangerous for the whale. “They have no interest in eating us,” Dr. Kerr reassured, “It’s not to their benefit.” Ultimately, this bizarre encounter is a one in a million scenario—a mixture of worlds between a human and one of the ocean’s most majestic creatures, with no harm done to either party.
