A FATHER has captured the terrifying moment his son was swallowed whole by a 50,000lb humpback whale before being spat out.
The shocking event took place in February 2025 off the coast of Punta Arenas in Southern Chile – here’s everything you need to know.
Who is kayaker Adrián Simancas?
Adrian Simancas, aged 24, experienced a remarkable incident on February 8, 2025. While he was kayaking near Punta Arenas, a massive 50-foot humpback whale suddenly engulfed him but quickly expelled him from its mouth.
The kayaker had taken to the water alongside his father Dell, 49, when the horrifying incident occurred.
Adrian, who was leisurely paddling in his bright yellow inflatable kayak around 3 pm, was taken by surprise as he had not noticed the whale until a part of its mouth surfaced.
Without warning, the animal trapped the young man and his yellow kayak in its mouth.
His father, Dell, unintentionally captured the frightening event on camera from mere meters away, feeling powerless as he witnessed the scene unfold before the whale released Adrian after a few seconds.
Footage captured by Dell shows the moment the jaws of the animal suddenly breached the water and closed on top of the kayaker.
Despite the terrifying experience, Dell could be heard reassuring his son, saying: ”Stay calm, stay calm, don’t get back into the boat, head for the shoreline, I’m coming.”
Once the whale disappeared from view, the pair were able to safely steer away from the area.
Despite the scare, Adrian and Dell were both unharmed.
Moment of panic
Adrian has since spoken out about the shocking moment.
He told CNN: “I felt a slimy texture, I thought I was going to die.”
The kayaker continued: ”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. 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.”
Adrian only realised what had happened when he returned to the surface of the water.
“When I got out and started to float there I was really afraid something would happen to my dad too,” he said.
“That we wouldn’t have reached the shore in time and I would get hypothermia.”
Speaking to CNN, Adrian added: ”Whales do not swallow people, they have a very small oesophagus and a mechanism by which they rise to the surface and grab everything they find.
“They leave what is useful in their mouths and spit out the rest.”
Dell also recalled the scare, telling a Chilean TV programme: “I turned round and I couldn’t see Adrian, and that was the only real moment of panic.
“He disappeared for about three seconds and then shot out and that’s when I calmed down because I saw he was safe.”
