Ever heard of a man being swallowed by a whale and getting spit back out? Well, in what was one of the most terrifying and unbelievable experiences ever heard of, Michael Packard, a 56-year-old lobster diver in the USA, had been gulped down (well, almost) by a humpback whale and spit back out after 30-40 seconds.
Humpback whales are said to be as long as 15 metres and weigh almost 36 tons.
Amazingly, he survived with a lot of bruises but no broken bones, and lived to tell the tale. Michael was admitted to the Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis and treated for his injuries. He has been discharged now.
Michael Packard took to Facebook to talk about the scary ordeal, which took place on Friday morning, on a page called Provincetown Community Space. The diver wrote, “Hi everyone, I just want to clarify what happened to me today. 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 (sic).”
Describing what exactly had happened when he was inside the whale’s mouth, Michael told media sources, “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. I was completely inside; it was completely black (sic).”
Michael thought at first that he had been attacked by one of the great white sharks that swim in the area, but had then “felt around and realised there was no teeth (sic).”
He added that he lost hope for a moment and thought he was going to die. He was quoted as saying, “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 (sic).”
After a few seconds inside its mouth, Michael said he began struggling and trying to move around. The whale, which had apparently sensed this, shook its head before spitting him back out. He said, “Then all of a sudden he (the whale) went up to the surface and just erupted and started shaking his head. I just got thrown in the air and landed in the water. I was free and I just floated there. I couldn’t believe… I’m here to tell it (sic).”
At this point, Michael’s crewmate, who had accompanied him on the boat, had been desperately searching the waters for any sign of bubbles from Michael’s oxygen respirator, according to media reports. After spotting him floating on the water, his crewmate hauled him back onto the boat.
The incident, which took place in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, has garnered a lot of attention on social media.