A DIVER swallowed by a whale has revealed what it’s like being inside one of the massive creatures.
Michael Packard was fishing for lobster in the sea off Cape Cod in Massachusetts when he had the biblical encounter with the humpback whale.
It was 8am and the dad-of-two had gone into the sea for his second dive of the day to pluck lobsters from the ocean floor when 10ft from the bottom he was hit by he said felt like a 100 ton truck.
“All of a sudden, I felt this huge shove and the next thing I knew it was completely black,” told the Cape Cod Times.
“I could sense I was moving, and I could feel the whale squeezing with the muscles in his mouth.”
At first he thought he was inside a great white shark but he couldn’t feel any teeth and hadn’t suffered any obvious wounds.
READ MORE ON WORLD NEWS
Terrifying moment huge croc drags man’s body along river after mauling victim
I’m the world’s fattest daredevil – I’ve broken limbs but it won’t stop me
Then it quickly dawned on him that he had been swallowed by a whale during the 2021 encounter.
“I was completely inside it was completely black,” Packard said.
“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.”
Michael had to feel around in the darkness while inside the whale’s mouth.
Most read in News
Russia threatens to NUKE UK & US after battle over nuclear mega-plant
'Sweet' girl, 11, killed swimming at water park, as classmates pay tribute
'Happy' girl, 4, dead in blast as four injured after house explosion
'Unanswered questions' over death of baby found 'cold & unresponsive' in crib
The whale began shaking its head so Packard could tell the creature didn’t like having him in his mouth.
He estimated he was inside the whale for 30 to 40 seconds before it finally surfaced.
“I saw light, and he started throwing his head side to side, and the next thing I knew I was outside,” said Packard.
“I just couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe I got out of that.”
His crewmate, who had been desperately scanning the water for telltale bubbles from Michael’s oxygen respirator, hauled him back into the boat.
Appearing on the Jimmy Kimmel show, Michael joked: "I want to apologise to the whale for getting in his way.
"And I won't ever do it again."
Humpback whales can grow to as long as 50ft and weigh about 36 tons.
Read More on The Sun
Gogglebox’s Amy Tapper looks slimmer than ever as she celebrates pal’s wedding
Three Ring Doorbell hacks you MUST know – or it could cost you
They tend to feed by opening their mouth wide to gulp down as much prey, like fish or krill, as possible.
“Based on what was described, this would have to be a mistake and an accident on the part of the humpback," said Jooke Robbins, director of Humpback Whale Studies at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown.
Source: Read Full Article
