He escaped with just a dislocated knee.
A lobsterman in the US has described the terrifying moment that he was almost swallowed by a whale.
Michael Packard says that he was diving off the coast of Princetown, Massachusetts when he suddenly ended up in the humpback's mouth for about 30-40 seconds. Eventually the whale spat him out, probably realising that what it had just put in its mouth was a bit bigger than the krill and fish that it usually eats.
The 56-year-old told the
Cape Cod Times how he had been diving to pick lobsters off the seafloor before he "felt this huge shove" and everything went "completely black."
He told the paper: "All of a sudden, I felt this huge shove and the next thing I knew it was completely black."
"I could sense I was moving, and I could feel the whale squeezing with the muscles in his mouth.
"I was completely inside; it was completely black. 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."
Apparently, as Packard struggled in the marine giant's mouth he could feel the whale shaking its head.
"I saw light, and he started throwing his head side to side, and the next thing I knew I was outside (in the water)," he said.
He told
a local news channel how at first he thought he was being attacked by a great white shark, but realised that he must be in a whale's mouth when he couldn't feel any teeth.
https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1403526769857155072
Humpbacks can grow as long as 50ft and weigh about 36 tons. According to the World Wildlife Fund, their global population is about 60,000.
His crewmate Joe Francis, who had been looking for him on the surface, described the moment he was flung out into the air.
He said: "I saw Mike come flying out of the water feet first with his flippers on and land back in the water.
"I jumped aboard the boat. We got him up, got his tank off. Got him on the deck and calmed him down and he goes, 'Joe, I was in the mouth of a whale' he goes 'I can't believe it, I was in the mouth of a whale Joe!'"
Because whales feed on fish and krill it is thought that it was purely accidental that Packard ended up in the whale's mouth. They feed by opening their mouths and gulping down as much prey as possible.
Packard has said that despite the ordeal and his wife's pleas, he has no plans to get another job.
Incredible story.
