I Was Swallowed by a Humpback Whale and Spit Back Out

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A father-and-son kayaking expedition off the coast of Punta Arenas in Southern Chile has made headlines all over the world thanks to the dramatic antics of a huge humpback whale. It may be common to spot these amazing creatures in the waters around Chile, but this particular encounter was highly unusual. The whale scooped up 24-year-old Adrian Simancas in its mouth, and the whole thing was captured on film by his father. Thankfully, the kayaker was unharmed in the encounter – but what a story he has to tell!

Swallowed by a Humpback Whale

In media interviews, Adrian Simancas described thinking that he had died and realizing that there was nothing that he could do. He was also concerned for his father’s safety. In the extraordinary video clip above, you can clearly see him — and his bright yellow kayak — disappear inside the whale’s mouth. Just a few seconds later, he emerges from the water.  

How Can You Spot a Humpback?

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) get their name from the prominent hump in front of their dorsal fin. They can weigh up to 40 tons and reach 60 feet in length, so they are not easy to miss! Most of their body is black but they can have white areas on their bellies, pectoral fins, and the underside of their tails (flukes). In the above video, you can see that the whale has quite a lot of white markings and this is common for humpbacks in the Southern Hemisphere.

You can spot these whales in all of the major oceans and they migrate over thousands of miles. The whale in this clip would have belonged to one of the seven humpback populations in the Southern Hemisphere but there are also at least four populations in the North Pacific and two populations in the North Atlantic. All of the population segments have been seriously depleted due to commercial whaling. They are also under threat from vessel strikes, climate change, entanglement in fishing gear, and vessel-based harassment.

Has This Happened to Anyone Else?

Adrian Simancas is not the first person to experience this and is not even the first to have it captured on film. In 2023, physical therapist Julie McSorley had a similar experience while kayaking in California’s San Luis Obispo Bay. She described it as being like body surfing on a wave. She also remembers holding her breath and not being able to see anything.

Previous similar reports without video evidence were treated with more skepticism, and the victims were not always believed. Lobster diver Michael Packard claims that he was “swallowed” by a humpback whale off Cape Cod’s Herring Cove Beach on June 11, 2021, and recalls everything going “completely black.” He suffered some soft tissue injuries that required hospitalization but no broken bones. Wildlife photographer Rainer Schimpf had a similar experience while diving off the South African coast in 2019 and has a photograph of his helmet sticking out of the whale’s mouth to prove it!

Do Humpback Whales Hunt Humans?

No, we are not the natural prey of humpback whales – they feed on small crustaceans (mostly krill) and small fish (sardines, juvenile salmon, and herring). They are mysticetes, which means that they have a structure called a baleen instead of teeth. A baleen is a fascinating modification of their upper gums. It consists of plates made up of long flexible hairs bound together by connective tissue that hang down each side of the upper jaw.

Humpback whales are gulp feeders. When they feed, they open their mouth wide and take in huge volumes of water. Then, they partially close their mouth and force the water out past their baleens with their tongue. Food gets stuck on the baleens and is then swallowed.

Can Humpback Whales Actually Swallow a Human?

When people say that they were “swallowed” by a humpback whale, what they actually mean is that they were scooped up into the whale’s huge mouth. This is helped by the fact that humpbacks have long pleats running the length of their throat so it can distend to take in even more water. A human can easily fit inside their mouth, which can be 10 feet in diameter. However, the opening to their esophagus (the tube leading to their stomach) is very small – only around the size of a human fist. Even when it stretches, it only reaches around 12 inches. It is very unlikely to allow a human to pass through.

Why Did the Whale Swallow the Kayaker?

So, if humpbacks are not trying to eat humans, why do they swallow us? The answer is that they do it by accident. Humpback whales can be highly energetic and often jump above the surface of the water with their mouths wide open when they are feeding in a behavior called breaching. Humans are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Also, as the whale’s enormous mouth distends, they are not able to see in front of them and don’t know that they have scooped up a human until they feel it in their mouth. Then, they promptly spit it out!

Do Any Other Animals Get Accidentally Swallowed?

Yes! Humpback whales also accidentally swallow other creatures that get in the way when they are feeding. Scientific studies of humpback whale poop have shown that they swallow sea birds. Sadly for the birds, they are small enough to pass into the whale’s stomach. However, this only happens very occasionally. Also, a wildlife photographer captured the moment in 2019 when an unlucky sea lion ended up inside a humpback whale’s mouth in another incredibly rare event. The sea lion was soon released and swam away.

Do Humpback Whales Kill People?

When a creature as large as a humpback whale hurls itself out of the water, it is a potentially dangerous situation — whether they have their mouths open or not. Sadly, there are reports of people being killed by breaching whales. In March 2015, a breaching humpback landed on a tour boat off the coast of Mexico, killing one woman.

Even though these events are very rare, they serve to remind us of the extraordinary power of these incredible creatures and the need to take great care when we enter their habitats.