Michael Packard, a diver from Massachusetts, survived being swallowed by a humpback whale off the coast of Cape Cod in 2021. Packard was diving for lobsters when he felt a massive shove and suddenly found himself in complete darkness, realizing he was in a whale’s mouth. “I thought to myself, ‘I’m dead.’ All I could think of was my boys — they’re 12 and 15 years old,” he later recalled.
Packard estimated he was trapped for 30 to 40 seconds, during which he could feel the whale’s muscles moving as it attempted to swallow him. Fortunately, his struggles caused the whale to spit him out, allowing him to escape with severe bruising and a dislocated knee. His crew pulled him from the water, and he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Experts, including Jooke Robbins of the Center for Coastal Studies, explained that such incidents are extremely rare and likely accidental, as humpback whales are not aggressive animals. The event has since been dramatized in a chilling online simulation, offering a visual representation of what Packard endured.
This remarkable encounter highlights the unpredictable nature of the ocean and the resilience of the human spirit in life-or-death situations.
