Miguel Jorge
WriterJournalist. I've spent more than half of my life writing about technology, science, and culture. Before landing here, I worked at Telefónica, Prisa, Globus Comunicación, Hipertextual, and Gizmodo. I'm part of Webedia's cross-section team.
Few marine creatures generate as much excitement as humpback whales. Their sheer size is a significant part of their appeal. At the end of last year, one individual made headlines after crossing three oceans–a record distance–with a single goal: to reproduce. More recently, another humpback whale has taken center stage on social media, this time for swallowing a man and his boat in Chile.
An unexpected encounter. In an extraordinary incident, images of 24-year-old Adrián Simancas have captured attention around the world. While sailing in an inflatable boat in Chilean Patagonia, he was briefly swallowed by a humpback whale.
The event took place in the Strait of Magellan in South Chile, near the San Isidro Lighthouse and El Aguila Bay. Dell Simancas, his father, recorded it on video. He was documenting the swell when the marine mammal emerged unexpectedly.
A moment of hesitation. Adrián Simancas tried to explain to the media how he felt during the incident. The young rafter remembers feeling a nudge from behind before being enveloped by a dark, slippery object. I saw dark blue and white colors before feeling a slimy texture brush against my face,” he told The Guardian.
As the whale’s mouth closed, the young man believed he had been swallowed. However, after a brief moment, his life jacket propelled him back to the surface. Soon after, his boat also surfaced, while the whale disappeared beneath the water.
The father’s reaction. Dell Simancas, Adrián Simancas’ father, is a medical anesthesiologist with extensive experience in outdoor activities. Despite the initial shock of the situation, he remained remarkably calm. In the video, he can be heard firmly instructing, “Calm down, grab the boat,” when his son reappears on the surface. Adrián Simancas, who had never encountered a whale before, credited his emotional composure to his father’s guidance.
The scientific explanation for the viral incident. Experts agree that encounters between humpback whales and humans are extremely rare. Jooke Robbins, the director of the Humpback Whale Studies Program at the Center for Coastal Studies in Massachusetts, told The New York Times that the whale was likely executing a feeding maneuver at the surface and didn’t detect the presence of the young man.
Meanwhile, Dianna Schulte from the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation explained that these cetaceans lack biosonar and rely primarily on their hearing for navigation. Additionally, small non-motorized boats, like Adrián Simancas’ vessel, produce very little noise. This may have made it challenging for the whale to notice the young rafter, especially given the cloudy conditions at the time.
Humpback whales don’t swallow humans. The recent incident has led to the big question: Can humpback whales actually swallow humans? Marine biologist María José Pérez Álvarez told The Guardian that these cetaceans can’t “devour” a human being because their esophagus is too small. Humpbacks feed by filtering krill and small fish through their “brush-like plates” rather than using teeth. In other words, it’s physically impossible for a humpback whale to swallow a person.
Additionally, Danny Groves from Whale and Dolphin Conservation pointed out that humans aren’t part of the diet of these cetaceans, and it’s likely that the whale was simply feeding without noticing the presence of a kayak. Meanwhile, Kevin Robinson, director of the Cetacean Research & Rescue Unit, explained that although a humpback whale’s mouth can open up to 10 feet wide, its throat is only about the size of a human fist. This anatomical limitation prevents them from ingesting anything as large as a person or a kayak. He specified that any object in their path could “be part of that engulfment process,” but they couldn’t “ingest the kayaker.”
Interaction risks. There obviously are risks associated with interactions between humans and humpback whales. Although Adrián Simancas was unharmed, experts warn that these encounters can be dangerous. Pérez Álvarez emphasized that a humpback whale, which can grow to 60 feet in length, could’ve accidentally struck the young man with part of its body, potentially causing serious injuries.
Local kayakers also pointed out that Adrián Simancas and his father were too far from shore and too close to the whale. Guillermo Meza, a kayak company operator in the area, stressed the importance of keeping a minimum distance of 330 feet from these animals and remaining completely still if they approach.
Not the first incident. Although unusual, the case of the young Chilean man isn’t the first incident of a person being near or inside the mouth of a humpback whale. In 2021, a lobsterman off the coast of Massachusetts was briefly caught in the mouth of a humpback whale before being ejected with some bruises. In 2020, a whale in California lifted a kayak with two women aboard, and in 2022, a whale in New Hampshire capsized a boat, throwing its occupants into the water.
A life lesson. There’s little doubt that this experience will remain etched in Adrián Simancas’ memory. The incident instilled in him a deep respect for nature and highlighted the need to exercise extreme caution in future expeditions. He plans to stay closer to shore during his upcoming trips and reflects on what he considers a second chance.
“I felt blessed with a second chance to review the mistakes that led me to be there–not just in the expedition, but in life itself,” he told The Guardian.
Image | Todd Cravens
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