The Great Escape: Humpback whale swallows US fisherman, then spits him out!

US fisherman, who was swallowed by a whale, said, “I could sense I was moving, and I could feel the whale squeezing with the muscles in his mouth."

Pic Courtesy: Reuters

New Delhi: In a movie-like scenario, a US lobster fisherman said he was swallowed by a humpback whale and has survived to tell the dreadful tale. 

Michael Packard, a 56-year-old veteran lobster diver, claimed that he was swallowed whole by a humpback whale, Cape Cod Times reported. 

“All of a sudden, I felt this huge shove and the next thing I knew it was completely black,” Packard said recalling his chilling experience. 

The incident occurred when he was diving for lobster off the coast of the northeastern state of Massachusetts. 

“I could sense I was moving, and I could feel the whale squeezing with the muscles in his mouth,” he added. 

Packard said it was completely dark and he was sure he would be dead, adding that the only thought in his mind was of his kids. 

However, in an almost unbelievable twist, Packard, who was in his scuba gear, was released by the whale. He believes he was inside the whale for around 30 to 40 seconds before it spit him out. 

“I saw light, and he started throwing his head side to side, and the next thing I knew I was outside (in the water),” he told Cape Cod Times. 

Crewman Josiah Mayo picked Packard up after he surfaced and rushed to the Provincetown pier. A Provincetown Fire Department ambulance took him to Cape Cod Hospital, the report quoted  Packard’s sister Cynthia Packard as saying.