Abdelrahman
A remarkable encounter occurred off the coast of Chilean Patagonia when a humpback whale momentarily engulfed a kayaker, only to release him unharmed shortly thereafter. This extraordinary event, captured on video, became an internet sensation almost instantly.
On Saturday, February 8, 2025, Adrián Simancas was kayaking with his father, Dell, in Bahía El Águila, close to the San Isidro Lighthouse in the Strait of Magellan. Suddenly, a humpback whale surfaced, swallowing both Adrián and his bright yellow kayak for a brief moment before spitting him out.
Just a few meters away, Dell recorded this unbelievable moment while reassuring his son to remain calm. “Just stay calm,” he urged as they both processed the surreal experience.
“I thought I was going to die,” Adrián recounted to The Associated Press. “For a moment, I believed the whale had swallowed me.”
He described the sheer “terror” experienced during those fleeting seconds, explaining that his true concern set in once he resurfaced, worried about the safety of his father and fearing he could drown in the frigid waters.
Despite the shocking event, Dell maintained his composure, capturing the scene while providing reassurance to his son amid his own anxieties. “When I resurfaced and floated, I was anxious about my dad too, worried that we might not reach the shore in time or that I might suffer from hypothermia,” Adrián shared.
After a few tense moments in the chilly water, Adrián finally reached his father’s kayak, where he received immediate assistance. Fortunately, both paddlers made it back to shore without any injuries.
The Strait of Magellan, situated approximately 1,600 miles south of Santiago, Chile’s capital, attracts countless tourists for its adventurous offerings.
However, its icy waters present significant challenges for sailors, swimmers, and adventurers attempting various crossings.
Despite being summer in the Southern Hemisphere, temperatures in this area remain relatively cool, dipping to about 39 degrees Fahrenheit and rarely exceeding 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
While encounters with whales that pose a threat to humans are extraordinarily rare in Chilean waters, there has been a notable rise in whale fatalities due to collisions with commercial vessels, along with a marked increase in strandings over the past decade.
Last year, a jaw-dropping video showcased a whale capsizing a boat off New Hampshire’s coast, sending two men tumbling into the ocean, as reported by CBS Boston. Nearby teenagers quickly came to their aid.
In 2020, two women encountered a similar situation when a humpback whale knocked them from their kayak near Avila Beach, California. Although Julie McSorley and Liz Cottriel were briefly within the whale’s mouth, they were not swallowed. “Thanks to our life jackets, as soon as the whale released us, we surfaced,” McSorley recounted to Slate in 2023. “I didn’t really see anything until I resurfaced.”
