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Man briefly 'swallowed' by humpback whale

Humpback Whale - Level 4

A kayaker had a lucky escape this week. Adrian Simancas was paddling through the icy waters near Chile. A huge humpback whale came from the deep, and Mr Simancas ended up in its mouth. Luckily, the throat of a humpback stretches to a diameter of 40 cm. The humpback quickly spat Simancas back out into the ocean. Simancas' father captured the incident on video. He said he saw his son emerge from the waves next to "a gigantic animal".

Mr Simancas told journalists about his ordeal back on dry land. He said: "All this happened in a second. Something dark…enveloped me, and a slimy texture brushed my face." He continued: "I realized that I was in something's mouth, and I had been eaten." A newspaper reported: "For a few fleeting moments, Adrian's fate was in the jaws of the 40-ton [mammal]." Adrian said his close encounter with the whale would not stop him from rafting.

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Humpback Whale - Level 5

A kayaker had a lucky escape this week after ending up in the jaws of a whale. Adrian Simancas, 23, was paddling through the icy waters near Chile, when a huge humpback whale emerged from the deep. It engulfed Mr Simancas in its mouth. Luckily, the esophagus of a humpback can only stretch to a diameter of 40 cm. No sooner had the humpback gulped up Simancas than it spat him back out into the ocean. Simancas' father captured the horrifying incident on video. He said: "Suddenly, I saw Adrian emerge from the waves, along with what looked like a gigantic animal."

Mr Simancas recounted his ordeal to journalists back on dry land. He said: "Something hit me from behind. All this happened in a second. Something dark…enveloped me, and a slimy texture brushed my face." He continued: "I started to sink… I was surrounded by water. I realized that I was in something's mouth, and I had been eaten." The Guardian newspaper reported: "For a few fleeting moments, Adrian's fate was in the jaws of the 40-ton [mammal]." Adrian said his close encounter with the whale would not stop him from future rafting trips.

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Humpback Whale - Level 6

A packrafter had a lucky escape earlier this week after ending up in the jaws of a whale. Adrian Simancas, 23, was paddling through the icy waters of Patagonia, Chile, when an enormous humpback whale emerged from the deep and engulfed him and his inflatable raft in its mouth. Luckily for Mr Simancas, the esophagus of a humpback can only stretch to a diameter of 40 cm, and is ordinarily the width of a human fist. No sooner had Simancas been gulped up by the humpback than he was spat out into the choppy Southern Ocean. Simancas' father captured the whole horrifying incident on video. He said: "Suddenly, I saw Adrian emerge from the waves, along with what looked like a gigantic animal."

Mr Simancas recounted his terrifying ordeal to journalists back on dry land. He said: "I felt something hit me from behind. All this happened in a second. Something dark blue or white enveloped me, and a slimy texture brushed my face." He continued: "I started to sink, and I just closed my eyes, expecting an impact… I was surrounded by water. I realized that I was in something's mouth and I had been eaten." He added: "I felt like I was in a whirlpool… spinning around." The Guardian newspaper reported: "For a few fleeting moments, Adrian's fate was in the jaws of the 40-ton [mammal]." Adrian said his close encounter would not deter him from future rafting outings.

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25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson