Dell, just metres away, captured the moment on video. “Stay calm, stay calm,” he can be heard saying after his son was released.
kayaker swallowed & released
by humpback whale off chilean patagoiniapic.twitter.com/Varu0oZoD0– Ian Bremmer (@ianbremmer) February 13, 2025
“I thought I was dead,” Adrián told The Associated Press. “I thought it had eaten me, that it had swallowed me.” He described the “terror” of those seconds underwater and said his fear grew after resurfacing. He worried the whale could harm his father or that he would not survive in the freezing water.”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,” he said.
After a few seconds in the water, Adrián reached his father’s kayak and was quickly assisted. Both returned to shore uninjured.
The Strait of Magellan, located about 1,600 miles (3,000 kilometres) south of Santiago, is a well-known destination in Chilean Patagonia. It attracts tourists for adventure activities, but its cold waters challenge sailors and explorers. Even in summer, temperatures range from 4°C (39°F) at night to 20°C (68°F) during the day.
Whale attacks on humans are extremely rare in Chilean waters. However, whale deaths from cargo ship collisions have increased in recent years, and strandings have become more common in the past decade.
(With input from agencies)
(Edited by : Vivek Dubey)
