In what’s an extremely rare incident, a Massachusetts lobster diver recently got trapped inside the mouth of a humpback whale — and lived to tell the tale!
On Friday morning, Michael Packard was swimming 35 feet down to pluck some lobsters off the ocean floor when he suddenly became engulfed by darkness. Next thing the man knew, he was swallowed whole by a large creature, telling the Cape Cod Times:
“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.”
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However, the 56-year-old initially thought he’d been snatched by a great white shark but couldn’t feel any sharp teeth, explaining:
“I was completely inside (the whale); 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.”
It wasn’t until about 30 to 40 seconds later that the mammal surfaced and spit Packard out:
“I saw light, and he started throwing his head side-to-side, and the next thing I knew I was outside (in the water).”
Thankfully, the whole ordeal had been witnessed by the fisherman’s friend Josiah Mayo who quickly retrieved him and called for medical help. He only suffered a couple of injuries to the legs after almost becoming a morning snack, USA Today reported.
Oof, he was certainly a lucky man! But it turns out he was in no immediate danger. According to LiveScience, humpback whales tend to dine solely on squid, krill, salmon, and other small fish, and the only whale even capable of consuming a human is a sperm whale. The more you know, folks!
Peter Corkeron, who is a scientist at the New England Aquarium, told WBZ-TV that the recent fiasco had been a “one-in-a-trillion” circumstance, adding:
“It’s a very unusual accident. This is a one in a — goodness knows what — trillion chance. …He was just unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
That may be so, but it’s still scary as hell! We couldn’t even imagine (nor do we want to) getting caught inside a whale’s mouth.
Following the terrifying, Packard took to the Provincetown Community Space Facebook page to thank the rescuers who helped him, writing:
“I was lobster diving and A humpback whale tried to eat me. I was in his closed mouth for about 30 to 40 seconds before he rose to the surface and spit me out. I am very bruised up but have no broken bones. I want to thank the Provincetown rescue squad for their caring and help.”
Wow… Glad to hear you’re okay, sir. But may we suggest taking a vacation away from the ocean for a couple of weeks. It sounds like you might need it after this. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments (below)!
[Image via Brian To/WENN]
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