A lobster fisherman was diving in the shores of Provincetown, Massachusetts, when he was surprised by a whale
Photo: PACKARD FAMILY / Courtesy
For: BBC News World
Thursday, November 7
Swallowed and returned to the sea: the incredible story of the man who was trapped in the mouth of a whale (and who survived to tell it)
A fisherman in the United States was swallowed by a whale and thrown into the water a few seconds later, while diving for lobsters .
Michael Packard says he was diving when he ended up in the mouth of the marine giant between 36 Y 40 seconds off the coast of Provincetown, Massachusetts.
The animal spat at Packard, who only apparently had his knee dislocated.
Despite pleas wife to change jobs, he says he does not plan to leave his trade as a diver that he has been doing for years in Cape Cod, a peninsula at the eastern tip of the state of Mass achusetts.
Humpback whales can grow to 30 meters long and can weigh around 40 tons.
According to the Global Fund for Nature, its world population is approximately 60, 000 copies.
Packard, of 40 years, he told the local newspaper Cape Cod Times that he and his crewmate had gone in their boat to the beach at Herring Cove on Friday morning, where conditions were excellent, with a water visibility of approximately 20 feet.
After jumping into the water with his scuba gear, Packard told local television WBZ-TV News that he felt “a big hit and everything went dark.”
” He’s trying to swallow me ”
The fisherman thought that it had been attacked by one of the great white sharks that swim in the area. “Then I felt the sides and felt like I had no teeth,” he said.
“And then I realized: ‘My God, I’m in the mouth of a whale and she It’s trying to swallow me That’s right, I’m going to die. ‘”
Packard says he thought of his wife and two children, of 12 Y 15 years.
“Then all of a sudden he rose to the surface (…) and began to shake his head.”
“He threw me into the air and I fell into the water. I was free and I was floating there. I couldn’t believe it… I’m here to tell it. ”
His crewmate, who had been desperately scanning the water for bubbles from Packard’s oxygen breather, dragged him back to the boat.
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The Provincetown Fire Department confirmed to CBS News that they had responded to a call at 08: 15 local time (12: 15 GMT) to help an injured lobster fisherman on a Provincetown beach.
By mistake
Humpback whales They tend to feed by opening their mouths wide to swallow as many prey as possible, such as fish or krill.
Therefore, some marine scientists believe that what happened to Packard was, in all probability, purely accidental.An expert told Cape Cod Times which was practically unheard of that a whale swallowed to a human. Remember that you can receive notifications from BBC News Mundo. Download the new version of our app and activate them so you don’t miss out on our best content.
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