Video: Humpback whale swallows man before his astonishing escape

A man experienced a terrifying ordeal when he was briefly caught in the mouth of a humpback whale while kayaking off the coast of Chilean Patagonia.

The dramatic incident occurred on Saturday in the Strait of Magellan and was captured on video by Adrián Simancas' father, Dell, who was filming their kayaking excursion.

The footage, which quickly went viral, shows the whale suddenly emerging from the water, engulfing Simancas and his kayak before both reappeared moments later.

In the video, Simancas’ father can be heard shouting, “Grab the boat!” as his son clung to the kayak and swam toward him. Recalling the moment, Simancas told the Associated Press, “I thought it had eaten and swallowed me. At first, I even thought it was a killer whale because we had been talking about orcas just moments before.”

The whale resurfaced only a few feet away from him, heightening his fear as he worried for his father's safety and the risk of hypothermia from the cold waters. Thankfully, both men made it safely back to shore.

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Reflecting on his escape, Simancas said, “When I got out, I realized the whale likely approached out of curiosity or to communicate something. Initially, I felt terror because I thought there was nothing I could do.”

Wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta explained the whale's behavior, telling CNN that it was likely engaged in "lunge feeding" for krill or fish and unintentionally caught the kayaker in its path.

Pirotta clarified that humpback whales are not capable of swallowing humans due to their anatomy, noting, “They don’t have the equipment to devour a human.”

The extraordinary encounter, which ended without injury, left Simancas both shaken and awed by the power of nature.