It’s not every day you find yourself inside the mouth of a whale. But that’s exactly what happened to a kayaker off the coast of Chile.
One moment, he was paddling along, taking in the ocean breeze. The next? The water surged beneath him. A massive shape rose from below—and just like that, he was gone.
A Moment of Pure Chaos
His fellow kayakers barely had time to react. The splash. The sudden emptiness where he had been. Then, before anyone could process what had happened, the whale spat him back out.
He surfaced, coughing, drenched, but—somehow—completely unharmed.
Experts later explained what had likely happened. This wasn’t an attack. Humpback whales are filter feeders. They don’t hunt prey the way sharks do. They lunge forward, mouths wide open, swallowing everything in their path—mostly krill and small fish.
A kayak? Not part of the plan.
How Often Does This Happen?
Rarely. But it’s not unheard of.
A similar incident happened in 2021 when two divers in California were nearly swallowed. They were caught in a feeding lunge, just like the kayaker in Chile. The whale, realizing the mistake, let them go.
This time? Same story. Wrong place. Wrong time. Lucky escape.
The Risks of Getting Too Close
Whale-watching in Chile is huge. People travel from all over to see these giants in their natural habitat. But sometimes, nature gets a little too close.
Experts always advise keeping a safe distance, not just for the whales—but for yourself. A sudden breach, a feeding dive—things change fast.
A Story for the Ages
“So… I got swallowed by a whale.”
“Right. Sure you did.”
For the kayaker, this will be a story no one will believe. For the rest of us? A reminder that the ocean isn’t a theme park—and we’re just visitors passing through.
