Last Saturday, Adrián Simancas and his father, Dell, were kayaking in Bahía El Águila near the San Isidro Lighthouse in the Strait of Magellan when the massive marine mammal surfaced. Without warning, the whale engulfed Adrián and his yellow kayak for a few harrowing seconds before spitting him out.  

A male kayaker was swallowed by a humpback whale off Chilean Patagonia before being released seconds later, unharmed.

Adrián Simancas was kayaking with his father, who filmed this video as the massive mammal suddenly surfaced. pic.twitter.com/0nuE6OP88s

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) February 13, 2025

 

Dell, who was just meters away, remained remarkably composed, capturing the entire event on video while offering reassurance to his son. “Stay calm, stay calm,” he is heard saying after Adrián resurfaced from the whale’s mouth.  

 

For Adrián, those brief moments felt like an eternity. “I thought I was dead,” he told The Associated Press. “I thought it had eaten me, that it had swallowed me.” He described an overwhelming sense of "terror" during the ordeal, but his fear only intensified once he was back in the water. With the freezing ocean around him, his primary concern became his father’s safety and the risk of hypothermia.  

 

“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,” Adrián recalled. Despite the chaos, Dell remained focused, continuing to film while ensuring his son was safe. Within seconds, Adrián reached his father’s kayak and was assisted back to safety. Both father and son made it to shore without injury, though visibly shaken by the extraordinary event.  

 

Located about 1,600 miles (3,000 kilometers) south of Santiago, Chile’s capital, the Strait of Magellan is a well-known tourist destination in Chilean Patagonia. The area attracts adventurers eager to explore its stunning landscapes and encounter its diverse marine wildlife. However, as Adrián’s experience proves, nature can be as unpredictable as it is awe-inspiring.

 

Based on a report by AP 2025-02-15

 

 

By Jonah! That’s a lucky escape.

 

Same old story. 

 

Disobey God's command get swollowed by a great fish. Repent get barfed out.

 

(Cliff notes on Jonah)

 

Adrian be lighting some candles this Sunday.

 

It doesn't like sea men !

 

Hawk tuah!

Seems the man tasted funny...