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Kayaker survives being swallowed by humpback whale in Chile

A kayaker has said he thought he was going to die when he was swallowed by a humpback whale.

Adrian Simancas was off the coast of Chile, in the Strait of Magellan, when it surfaced and gobbled up his yellow boat.

His father, who was nearby in another kayak, captured the incident on camera.

"I thought I was dead," said Mr Simancas. "I thought it had eaten me, that it had swallowed me."

Luckily, the whale released him after a few seconds and the camera captured his father telling him "stay calm, stay calm".

The 24-year-old kayaker said he was still worried he could perish in the freezing waters.

"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," Mr Simancas said.

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The father and son both managed to get to shore safely after last Saturday's incident.

The Strait of Magellan is a major tourist attraction in Patagonia, about 1,600 miles (3,000km) from the capital Santiago.

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2025: Kayaker survives being swallowed by humpback whale in Chile

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