Featured Image Credit: NBC
Topics: Animals, World News, Nature
Poppy Bilderbeck
Lobster diver Michael Packard has spoken out about nearly being swallowed by a whale, and how no one believed him until another incident occurred.
You'd think being nearly swallowed by a whale would be wha-lly rare, alas, prepare to add another scenario to your list of nightmares which keep you up at night.
Well, it turns out not only was a kayaker nearly killed off by one of the creatures in February earlier this year, but three years ago, a lobster diver was also nearly gulped down too.
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On June 11, 2021, Packard was out diving near Provincetown, Massachusetts when he ended up nearly becoming a humpback whale's lunch.
He told media the whale 'tried to eat' him recalling being inside the whale's mouth and 'struggling' but ultimately knowing the whale was such a 'massive creature' there was 'no way' he was going to attempt 'to bust' himself out of its mouth.
Packard recalled thinking: "This is how you're going to die. In the mouth of a whale."
He ended up 'in [the whale's] closed mouth for about 30 to 40 seconds before he rose to the surface and spit [him] out,' Packard left 'laying on the surface floating'.
"[I] saw his tail and he went back down, and I was like, 'Oh my god, I got out of that, I survived'," Packard added.
Miraculously, Packard suffered a fair few bad bruises and a dislocated knee, but had 'no broken bones'.
Speaking out about the experience three years later, in an interview with NBC10 Boston, Packard revealed 'there were so many doubters out there' when he made it back safely to dry land and tried to tell people his gobsmacking tale.
Seeing the video of kayaker Adian Simancas similarly nearly being swallowed whole by a whale 'bought back the scary memories' for Packard.
Simancas was with his father kayaking in the waters in Bahía El Águila, south of Punta Arenas when his dad caught the moment a whale engulfed him in its mouth on camera.
Packard pointed out how when he went through the similar experience he was simply told by 'local experts' the encounters are 'rare and the swallowing is accidental as these humpbacks are not aggressive animals'.
"We were both engulfed in the giant jaws of a whale, which is pretty darn scary," he added, noting the term 'engulfed' is technically more accurate compared to 'swallowing'.
Glad the kayaker was okay, but also relieved his own experience is now believed as a result, Packard resolved: "I'm vindicated."