Diver Swallowed Whole by a Massive Humpback Whale; How Did He Survive?

Last year, a lobster diver first shared his near-death experience of being swallowed by a 27,000-kilogram humpback whale while diving at sea. Michael Packard, 56, found himself in the mouth of a large marine mammal while plucking lobsters from the ocean floor in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Incredibly, he managed to survive and tell the tale and even went back to work three weeks later. In a new interview, Michael recounts being hit by what felt like a "freight train" while on his third dive for the day.

Diver Spends 30 Seconds Inside A Whale

Daily Star reported Michael's story last year when he was swallowed whole by a humpback whale for 30 seconds before being spat out, just like Jonah in the Bible.

The incident happened on a Friday, June 11, 2021, while he was plucking lobsters from the ocean floor and suddenly felt a "huge shove and everything went black." He soon realized that he has become the food of a marine creature that he first thought was a great white shark.

But feeling no sharp teeth around, it dawned on him that he was inside a whale's mouth. He told local news outlet WBZ-TV that the whale was trying to swallow him, and that was when he thought that he would finally die.

He struggled so hard that caused the whale to shake its head and surface from the water. Michael finally saw the light and after about 30 to 40 seconds inside the gigantic marine mammal's mouth, he was thrown in the air and landed in the water. Finally, he was freed and he floated on the ocean.

His crewmate, Josiah Mayo, watched in disbelief as a whale suddenly erupted and spat Michael out. He immediately dragged his friend out of the water and onto their boat, named The J n' J, before calling for help. The Provincetown responded in haste and rushed Michael to the emergency department.

According to a recent report from Daily Star, Michael escaped with a ligament injury to his knee and some bruises. The diver also noted that it was his second near-death experience after being involved in a plane crash two decades ago.

Why Can't Whales Swallow A Human?

Sometimes it is hard to grasp how colossal a whale can be, especially when seeing them up close. According to Science ABC, blue whales are the largest of all whales and can reach a length of almost 100 feet and weigh over 300 pounds. Even their tongue could weigh the same as an adult elephant.

Blue whales are so large that they can accommodate a few hundred people. Despite that, humans do not necessarily have to worry about these huge marine mammals because they do not usually have sharp teeth to tear their prey apart and seem to not have an appetite for humans.

Nicola Hodgins of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, a U.K. nonprofit, told National Geographic that in the case of humpback whales it is impossible for them to swallow humans because their throat is roughly the size of a human fist and can only stretch about 15 inches in diameter.

She noted that Michael was more likely "engulfed as opposed to swallowed" before the whale realized that he could not fit the human inside his throat. For the whale, it must have also been a traumatic experience making a mistake in eating something other than a fish.

The idea of whales swallowing humans is just part of the mythology passed on to generations and believed to be true. However, it is scientifically impossible for all but the sperm whale to swallow something as big as a human.

Check out more news and information on Whales in Science Times.