A whale is one of those respectable and imposing animals, even for a diver, who, although he thinks he knows the behavior of these huge mammals, is never prepared to become their snack.
Sneaking between prey and a predator sometimes has unusual consequences. Rainer Schimpf is one of the few people who are lucky enough to have done it and to be able to tell about it.
Perhaps it would have been different if the animal that had swallowed him had been a shark. But no, it was a whale. A Bryde’s whale, to be more exact, that was strolling along the South African coasts and that decided “kindly” to return Schimpf to the sea after having kept him for two minutes in his mouth next to his dinner.
Rainer Schimpf is a diver with many years of experience, who has made countless trips to document the migration of sardines to southern Africa.
The diver could not imagine that he would be swallowed by a whale
whale
His work has allowed him to observe the most unthinkable animals up close, but he never thought that he would get to know the inside of a whale.
Recently, Rainer and his team were on the shores of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, when something happened that took their breath away.
Rainer was in the water taking a look at the local animals. He knew that in Port Elizabeth he could get dolphins, gannets and even sharks but he never imagined that he would encounter a huge whale.
The Bryde’s whale is a species that can measure up to 15 meters and weigh 20 tons. He very rarely lets himself be photographed, so they had no news of his presence in that area.
From one moment to the next, Rainer felt a huge pressure on his hips and everything turned black: A fin whale had swallowed him.
“I felt something strong around my waist and I knew right away. It was only a few seconds. The whale realized his mistake and opened his mouth to spit on me,” Rainer said.