"It’s like Jonah and the whale!"— Internet reacts as humpback whale swallows kayaker in Chile before spitting him out in viral video

On February 8, 2025, a kayaker named Adrian Simancas was swallowed alive by a humpback whale in the middle of the ocean off the coast of southern Chile. However, moments later, he was spit out by the mammal, entirely unharmed.

The incident was caught on video by Adrian’s father and fellow kayaker Dell Simancas, which has now gone viral across social media platforms. In the wake of this, netizens have been having diverse reactions.

For instance, X user @SusieQuinn1004 commented on IBC Group co-founder, CEO, and influencer Mario Nawfal’s post on the platform sharing the video.

“Holy Jesus, it’s like Jonah and the whale! I’m so glad it wasn’t a big old shark!” the user wrote alluding to the biblical allegory.

According to the Bible, Jonah was a prophet who disobeyed God and went to Nineveh. However, while fleeing by ship, he's swallowed by a large fish during a storm caused by God's wrath. Jonah spent the next few days praying for forgiveness and was eventually released onto land. The biblical allegory symbolizes the power of repentance.

Many people joined the conversation and shared similar reactions on the platform.

“Reminds me of Jonah in the belly of the whale,” a person wrote.

“Jonah, is that you???” one person asked.

“All I can think of is Jonah!” wrote another.

Others continued to chime in with wild reactions.

“Boy, if it wasn't taped, they'd nickname him Pinocchio, telling the story,” a netizen wrote.

“Proof that even nature's giants have better instincts than most politicians. Maybe the whale just didn’t like the taste of woke kayakers?” another netizen wrote.

“Who needs a rollercoaster when you've got a humpback whale as a personal elevator?” a user quipped.

“That's one wild adventure for Adrián! Glad he's okay after that whale encounter!” wrote another.

Notably, the father-son duo returned to the shore unharmed.

---

More about the humpback whale incident

Last Saturday, 20-year-old Adrian Simancas was out kayaking in the local seas Bahia El Aguila off the coastal town of Punta Arenas in Chilean Patagonia, when the humpback whale suddenly emerged and swallowed him up.

In the wake of the incident that took place near the San Isidro Lighthouse in the Strait of Magellan, 1600 miles south of Santiago, the victim told Reuters in a statement that he didn’t realize it was a humpback whale that “lifted” him.

"I felt like I was being lifted, but it was clearly too strong to be a wave," Adrian noted.

He further mentioned:

"When I turned, I felt something blue and white, passing close to my face, like on one side and above. I didn't understand what was happening. Then everything... I went under and thought I had been swallowed."

Simancas concluded by saying how he was confident he would succumb.

"I thought I was done for, that I was dead. It was like three strange seconds down there," he added.

Adrian told The Associated Press that he thought the humpback whale had “eaten” and “swallowed” him. He also mentioned that his real “terror” was after he was released as he thought the animal would harm his father, or he would succumb in the freezing waters.

Fortunately, the humpback whale released him and his yellow kayak seconds later, and he was completely unscathed. His father, Dell Simancas, who was meters away on his own kayak recorded the incident and shared with Reuters:

"I turned on the camera and heard a wave crash behind me, loudly. When I turned, I didn't see anything. So, that was the only moment of real fear because I didn't see Adrian for about three seconds. Then he suddenly shot out without the pack raft, and a second later, the pack raft emerged, and then I saw the fin of something."

In the now-viral video, the father could be heard telling his son to “Stay calm” twice from behind the camera, after the latter was let go by the humpback whale.

---

As per AP, this was a rare attack by humpback whale in the Chilean waters. Instead, there have been instances of whale fatalities from cargo ship collisions in recent times.