World of the Bizarre

Man is swallowed and spat out by a whale

By T.K. Randall
June 12, 2021

Image: Jumping Humpback Whale
Credit: Zorankovacevic / CC BY-SA 2.5 (adapted) It was early in the morning when 56-year-old Michael Packard - who had been lobster diving for years - entered the water off Cape Cod, Massachusetts on his second dive of the day.

As he reached the seafloor, however, he encountered something altogether unexpected.

"All of a sudden, I felt this huge shove and the next thing I knew it was completely black," he said. "I could sense I was moving, and I could feel the whale squeezing with the muscles in his mouth."

Without realizing it, he had inadvertently been swallowed up by a huge humpback whale.

"I was completely inside; it was completely black," he said. "I thought to myself, 'there's no way I'm getting out of here. I'm done, I'm dead.'"

"All I could think of was my boys - they're 12 and 15 years old."

As luck would have it, however, the whale wasn't too keen on its latest meal.

"I saw light, and he started throwing his head side to side, and the next thing I knew I was outside (in the water)," said Packard.

He ultimately escaped from his close encounter with only a broken leg and a few other minor injuries.


Source: Cape Cod Times

Tags: Whale