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Man describes being swallowed by whale
The first thing kayaker Adrián Simancas noticed after he was eaten by a whale was the slime.
“I spent a second realising I was inside the mouth of something, that maybe it had eaten me, that it could have been an orca or a sea monster,” the 23-year-old told BBC Mundo.
Adrián had started to think how he might survive inside the humpback whale “like Pinocchio” – then the creature spat him back out.
The Venezuelan kayaker had been paddling through the Strait of Magellan, off Chile’s Patagonian coast, with his father when he felt something “hit me from behind, closing in on me and sinking me”.
His father, Dall, was able to capture the short lived oedeal on video just meters away.
“I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, I realised I was inside the whale’s mouth,” Adrián told the BBC. “I felt a slimy texture brush my face,” he recalled, adding that all he could see was dark blue and white. “I wondered what I could do if it had swallowed me since I could no longer fight to stop it,” he said.
“I had to think about what to do next.” But within seconds, Adrián started to feel as though he was rising toward the surface.
“I was a little afraid of whether I would be able to hold my breath because I didn’t know how deep I was, and I felt like it took me a long time to come up.
“I went up for two seconds, and finally I got to the surface and realised that it hadn’t eaten me.”
In a nearby kayak, Adrián’s father Dall Simancas watched on in disbelief.
The pair had just crossed Eagle Bay – down the coast from Punta Arenas, Chile’s southernmost city – when he heard a crash behind him. “When I turned around, I didn’t see Adrián.”
“I was worried for a second, until I saw him coming up out of the sea,” the 49-year-old said.
“Then I saw something, a body, which I immediately interpreted as most likely being a whale because of its size.”
Dall had fixed a camera to the back of his kayak to record the rising waves – which captured his son’s remarkable experience.
Watching the footage back, Adrián – who moved with his father to Chile from Venezuela seven years ago in search of a better quality of life – was shocked to see just how enormous the whale had been.
“I hadn’t seen the moment when the back appears, and the fin is visible. I didn’t see it, I heard it. That made me nervous,” he said.
“But later, with the video, I realised that it actually appeared before me in such a huge size that perhaps if I had seen it, it would have scared me even more.”
For Adrián, the experience was not just about survival – but he said felt he had received a “second chance” when the whale spat him out.
The “unique” experience in one of the most extreme places on Earth had “invited me to reflect on what I could have done better up until that point, and on the ways I can take advantage of the experience and appreciate it as well”, he added.
But there is a simple reason he was able to escape the whale so quickly, according to a wildlife expert.
Humpback whales have narrow throats “about the size of a household pipe” designed for swallowing small fish and shrimp, Brazilian conservationist Roched Jacobson Seba told the BBC.
“They physically cannot swallow large objects like kayaks, tires, or even big fish like tuna,” he said.
“Ultimately, the whale spit out the kayak because it was physically impossible to swallow.”
The humpback whale likely engulfed Adrián by accident, Mr Seba suggested.
“The whale was likely feeding on a school of fish when it unintentionally scooped up the kayak along with its meal.
“When whales surface too quickly while feeding, they can accidentally hit or engulf objects in their path.”
He warned that the encounter served as “an important reminder” to avoid using paddleboards, surfboards or other silent vessels in areas where whales usually swim.
Boats used for whale watching and research must always keep their engines on, he added, as the noise helps whales detect their presence.
[BBC]
A complete performance from UAE’s bowling unit kept their semi-final hopes alive at the 2026 Women’s T20 Asia Cup, skittling Indonesia for 73 and then completing the chase with six wickets to spare. They now have to beat Bangladesh on September 8 and also hope other results go their way.
UAE were on top right from the first ball courtesy offspinner Suraksha Kotte, who starred with 3 for 16. Kotte struck with the first two balls of the innings, dismissing Indonesia opener Maria Corazon and No. 3 Ni Luh Dewi for first-ball ducks. UAE captain Esha Oza (2 for 11) then dismissed the other opener Rahmawati Pangestuti in the fourth over.
Indonesia captainN8 Puu Ayu Nanda Sakarini top-scored with a lone hand of 39 off 52 balls, with four fours and a six, accounting for 53.4% of Indonesia’s runs. But with little support, they could not find a way back in and were bowled out for 73.
Slow left-arm spinner Heena Hotchandani (2 for 6) and seamer Samaira Dharnidharka (1 for 12) also got among the wickets. Legspinner Vaishnave Mahesh struck twice in the 20th over to clean up the tail.
UAE openers Theertha Satish and Oza put on 17 for the first wicket. After losing Theertha in the fifth over, Oza hit two boundaries in each of the sixth and eighth overs. No. 3 Rinitha Rajith then hit three fours off Sofia Velic in the ninth over.
A brief wobble followed for UAE as they slid from 62 for 1 to 68 for 4. Oza fell for a 29-ball 30 at the start of the 11th over to Ni Ariani and Velic grabbed two wickets in the 12th. However, with only six runs needed, UAE wrapped up the chase at the start of the 14th over, the tournament hosts securing two points with 41 balls to spare. This was also Indonesia’s final match of the campaign, bowing out with losses in all three games.
Scores:
UAE Women 75 for 4 8n 13.1 overs (Esha Oza 30, Rinitha Rajith 22; Ni Riani 1-10, Sang Maypriani 1-17, Sofia Velic 2-25) beat IndonesiaWomen 73 in 19.4 overs (N8 Putu Ayu Nanda Sakarini 39, Desi Wulandari 12; Suraksha Kotte 3-16, Heena Hotchandani 2-06, Esha Oza 2-11, Samira Dharnidarkha 1-12 ) by six wickets
(Cricinfo)
Latest News
Sun directly overhead Moratuwa, Kesbewa, Handapangoda, Idalgashinna, Yudhaganawa, Kotiyagala and Panama about 12.08 noon today (05)
The sun is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 28th of August to 07th of September due to its apparent southward relative motion.
The nearest places of Sri Lanka over which the sun is
overhead today (05) are Moratuwa, Kesbewa, Handapangoda, Idalgashinna, Yudhaganawa, Kotiyagala and Panama about 12.08 noon
Kusal Mendis and Binura Fernando have been ruled out of Sri Lanka’s upcoming T20I series against England, with the SLC saying that the two were “still undergoing rehabilitation” after injuries picked up at the 2026 Lanka Premier League.
The update came just over a day after the two were named in the 16-member squad, with Kusal retained as captain of both the T20I and the ODI sides.Charith Asalanka, who had returned to the vice-captain’s position for the series, will now lead the side in the T20Is. Though Kusal hasn’t been ruled out of the ODIs just yet, were he to miss out, Asalanka, as the designated vice-captain, might step in there too.
Kusal has been out of action since July 19 with a right hamstring injury, while Binura hasn’t played since August 5, SLC putting his absence down to a back injury.
Pavan Rathnayake, the 24-year-old top-order batter, has replaced Kusal in the T20I touring party, while Dilshan Madushanka, the fast bowler who was in the squad for the Tests against India recently but didn’t get to play, has come in for Binura.
(Cricinfo)
Malaysia declares emergency in Sarawak as haze from Indonesia worsens
UAE keep semi-final hopes alive after convincing win over Indonesia
Sun directly overhead Moratuwa, Kesbewa, Handapangoda, Idalgashinna, Yudhaganawa, Kotiyagala and Panama about 12.08 noon today (05)
Showers above 75 mm are likely at some places in the Uva, Central and Eastern provinces and in Polonnaruwa and Mullaittivu districts after 2.00 p.m
Namal remanded until Sept. 18 over Airbus deal investigation
Dengue cases surpass 96,000 this year
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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