Kayaker briefly trapped inside feeding humpback whale's mouth
Leo and another kayaker were scooped up when a humpback whale surfaced beneath them while feeding on silverfish in November 2019.
Leo found himself in an extraordinary situation on November 2, 2019. While paddling alongside another kayaker, a humpback whale suddenly surfaced directly beneath them.
Caught in the feeding frenzy
The whale was hunting a bait ball of silverfish when it rose from below. In the process of scooping up its prey, both kayakers ended up inside the whale's mouth for a brief moment.
Quick release and continued feeding
The encounter lasted only seconds. The whale quickly expelled both kayakers from its mouth and continued its feeding activity as if nothing unusual had happened.
The incident highlights the unpredictable nature of wildlife encounters on the water. Humpback whales feed by lunging upward through schools of fish with their mouths open, a behavior that can catch nearby vessels by surprise. In this case, the kayakers happened to be in exactly the wrong place at the wrong time, though they emerged from the experience unharmed.
