In a dramatic incident that almost defies belief, a kayaker found himself briefly trapped in the mouth of a humpback whale off the coast of Chile last weekend. Adrián Simancas was paddling with his father Dell near the San Isidro lighthouse in the Strait of Magellan when the massive marine mammal surfaced and scooped him up, kayak and all.
“I thought I was dead,” Adrián recounted after the terrifying ordeal. “I thought it had swallowed me.” For a few heart-stopping seconds, he found himself engulfed in the whale’s maw before the creature released him, leaving him to float stunned but miraculously unharmed in the frigid waters.
Father Films Son’s Whale of a Close Call
Adrián’s father Dell, paddling just meters away, captured the unbelievable scene on video. The footage shows the enormous humpback surging out of the water, mouth agape, and Adrián’s yellow kayak disappearing into the abyss. “Stay calm, stay calm,” Dell can be heard saying, doing his best to reassure his son while grappling with his own shock and worry.
Seconds later, Adrián pops back to the surface, sans kayak, as the whale spits him out with a mighty splash. The 30-second clip might seem comical if not for the very real danger of the situation. Humpbacks can reach up to 60 feet long and weigh up to 40 tons – this was no playful ocean romp.
Paddling into Peril
The Strait of Magellan, about 1,600 miles south of Santiago, is a major tourist draw known for whale watching and adventure activities. But those frigid waters pose significant challenges and risks. During the Southern Hemisphere’s summer, temperatures still rarely top 68°F and can dip down to a bone-chilling 39°F. Prolonged exposure could quickly spell hypothermia.
That danger weighed heavily on Adrián’s mind in the aftermath of the initial shock. “When I started floating, I feared something might happen to my father too, that we wouldn’t reach the shore in time, or that I would get hypothermia,” he said. Thankfully, he made it back into Dell’s kayak and they safely returned to land, rattled but no worse for wear.
Whales in Dangerous Waters
While a kayaker ending up in a humpback’s jaws may be a freak occurrence, sadly whale deaths and strandings have become increasing concerns in the region. Ship strikes are taking a devastating toll, and entanglements exacerbated by waters crowded with fishing gear and boat traffic pose serious threats to the majestic mammals.
My first reaction was, ‘Wow, I’m inside a whale’s mouth!’ And then I realized I had to get out.
– Adrián Simancas
Experts caution that the uptick in troubling human-whale incidents, while still rare, underscores the vulnerability of these marine giants as they navigate ever-busier and more perilous waters. Between cargo ships, cruise liners, fishing vessels and adventure seekers, heavy traffic is transforming even once-remote corners of the ocean into potential danger zones.
An Unforgettable Fluke Encounter
For Adrián and Dell, their larger-than-life wildlife encounter was fortunately more fluke than tragic. They emerged with an incredible story and video evidence to prove what otherwise would sound like a far-fetched fisherman’s tale. “It’s something you never expect to happen,” Adrián mused. “Who would believe that a kayaker could end up inside a whale?”
It may be the most heart-pounding kayaking misadventure one could imagine, but Adrián hasn’t sworn off the sport. Paddling on with a deeper respect for the raw power of nature, he’s just grateful his Patagonian vacation didn’t turn into a permanent voyage to the belly of a whale.
