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Man Swallowed By Humpback Whale Recalls Terrifying Encounter

Credit: Pexels & WBZ

A man who claims he was swallowed by a humpback whale has recalled the terrifying encounter. 

Michael Packard, a lobster diver, was diving off the Herring Cove Beach, in Provincetown, Massachusetts, when he encountered the creature while 10ft from the bottom of the ocean. 

Describing the experience, the 56-year-old told Cape Cod Times: “All of a sudden, I felt this huge shove, and the next thing I knew it was completely black. 

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“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,” Packard explained. “I thought to myself, ‘There’s no way I’m getting out of here. I’m done, I’m dead’.”

He added: “All I could think of was my boys, they’re 12 and 15 years old.”

Packard was stuck inside the whale for around half a minute before he was miraculously pushed back into the water. 

The dad-of-two told WBZ-TV News: “Then all of a sudden he 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.”

The incredible moment that Packard was ejected from the whale’s mouth was witnessed by Captain Joe Francis, who happened to be heading a fishing charter nearby.

He commented: “He’s damn lucky to be alive.

“I saw Mike come flying out of the water feet first with his flippers on and land back in the water.

“I jumped aboard the boat. We got him up, got his tank off. Got him on the deck and calmed him down and he goes, ‘Joe, I was in the mouth of a whale’ he goes ‘I can’t believe it, I was in the mouth of a whale Joe!'”

But the disbelief didn’t last long, as the American had to be sent to hospital immediately due to the injuries he had acquired.

Initially, Packard was convinced that he’d broken his legs when being swallowed by the whale. However, it turns out he was well enough to be released on the same day.

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Written by Aimee Walker

Aimee is a senior content editor at IGV who specialises in finding the best original stories, trending topics and entertainment news. She graduated from Birmingham City University with a degree in Media and Communications.