Kayaker breaks silence over 'terrifying' moment he was swallowed whole by humpback whale - then spat back out
14 February 2025, 11:32 | Updated: 14 February 2025, 12:59
A kayaker who was swallowed whole by a whale before being spat back out has broken his silence.
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Adrian Simancas, 24, was kayaking with his dad in the Strait of Magellan in southern Chile last Saturday when a humpback whale surfaced out of nowhere.
It engulfed Adrian and his yellow kayak for a few seconds before letting him go.
Adrian's father, Dell Simancas, captured the moment on video while encouraging his son to stay calm.
"Stay calm, stay calm," he could be heard saying after his son was released from the whale's mouth.
"I thought I was dead," Adrian told the Associated Press. "I thought it had eaten me, that it had swallowed me."
He described the "terror" of those few seconds and explained that his real fear set in only after resurfacing, fearing that the huge whale would hurt his father or that he would die in the freezing waters.
"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," Adrian said.
After a few seconds in the water, Adrian managed to reach his father's kayak and was helped back to shore uninjured.
Un joven fue tragado por una #ballena en el Estrecho de Magallaneshttps://t.co/WXL80NhbiD pic.twitter.com/McWVbUP0on
— Diario Jornada (@JornadaWeb) February 13, 2025
Speaking to CNN, he said he felt "a slimy texture" on his face moments before he was swallowed.
"Half an hour before, I saw a small jet of water shooting out, then I felt a blow coming from behind, which lifted me up a little," Adrian said. "I thought it could be a wave, but it was too strong.
"Then, when I turned around, I felt a slimy texture on my face and I saw colours like dark blue, white and something approaching from behind that closed in on me and made me sink.
"At that moment I thought that it had eaten me, that it had swallowed me."
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Located about 1,600 miles south of Santiago, Chile's capital, the Strait of Magellan is a major tourist attraction in Chilean Patagonia, known for adventure activities.
Its freezing waters pose a challenge for sailors, swimmers and explorers who attempt to cross it in different ways.
Some online have suggested that the clip was digitally altered, with the kayak appearing to disappear entirely in one frame.
But speaking after the incident, 24-year-old Adrian told local media: "I saw something blue and white passing close to my face like on one side and on top but I didn't understand what was happening.
"The next minute I sank. I thought I had been eaten."
His father said he began panicking after he turned around and he had vanished.
"He disappeared for about three seconds and then shot out and that's when I calmed down because I saw he was safe," he said.
Despite the scare, both men were able to escape the incident unharmed.
The pair cut their trip short due to the weather but have not been deterred from continuing to explore in the future.
"It was an incredible and terrifying experience at the same time," Dell Simancas said.
