A kayaker in Chilean Patagonia had the kind of experience you’d never want to have. He got scooped up into a whale’s mouth.
Adrián Simancas was briefly swallowed by a whale
Last Saturday, Adrián Simancas was out kayaking with his dad, Dell, in Bahía El Águila, near the San Isidro Lighthouse in the Strait of Magellan.
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They were just doing their thing when, out of nowhere, a humpback whale surfaced and completely swallowed up Adrián and his bright yellow kayak for a few seconds—then spat him right back out.
The terrifying moment was caught on camera
Adrián’s father, who was only a few meters away, caught the whole thing on video. Through the clip, you can hear him trying to keep his son calm.
“Stay calm, stay calm,” he says, right after Adrián is free from the whale’s mouth.
‘I thought I was dead,’ says Adrián
Adrián was convinced he was done for. The whole thing lasted just a moment, but for Adrián, those seconds were scary enough to make him feel it’s the end.
“I thought I was dead,” he told The Associated Press. “I thought it had eaten me, that it had swallowed me.”
He feared the whale could hurt his father
The real panic hit once he was back at the surface, not just worried about himself, but about his dad too.
“When I came up and started floating, I was scared that something might happen to my father too, that we wouldn’t reach the shore in time, or that I would get hypothermia,” Adrián said.
Dell remains focused and reassures his son
Meanwhile, Dell somehow stayed focused—filming, keeping his son calm, and dealing with his own fear all at the same time!
Both kayakers made it back safely
Thankfully, within seconds, the 24-year-old kayaker managed to reach his father’s kayak. Dell pulled him up, and the two made it back to shore, a little scared but totally fine.
The Strait of Magellan is a major tourist attraction
The Strait of Magellan, about 1,600 miles south of Chile’s capital, Santiago, is a hot spot for adventure. But its waters can be terrifying.
Even in summer, temperatures barely hit 68°F, and at night, they drop to a chilly 39°F. Not exactly where you want to take a surprise dip.
Whale attacks are actually RARE in Chile
Whales attacking humans are almost unheard of in Chilean waters. But there’s been a growing problem of collisions with cargo ships in recent years.
As for Adrián, he got the ultimate close encounter. Thankfully, he made it back safe and sound.
