Massachusetts: a healthy fisherman after being "swallowed" by a whale
It is a story at La Pinocchio, which could be taken for a hoax if it was not considered credible by whale specialists: a lobster fisherman from Massachusetts was "swallowed" Friday, June 11 briefly by a humpback whale, before being rejected in the living ocean, and capable of telling his adventure.
To read so many frank whales decimated by collisions
"Hi everyone, I just want to clarify what happened to me today," wrote the fisherman, Michael Packard, from Provincetown, nearly 200 km east of Boston, after historywas reassembled to the ears of the local newspaper, the CAPE COD Times."I was diving to look for lobsters when a humpback whale tried to eat me.I was in her mouth closed for 30 to 40 seconds, before she goes up to the surface and spit out.I have blues everywhere, but no broken bone.I thank the provinatown rescuers for their care and their help, "he wrote, after being briefly hospitalized.
Questioned by the local channel CBSN Boston, Michael Packard said he was about 13 meters deep when "suddenly, I felt this huge blow and everything became dark".He first thought he was bitten by a shark.But as he continued to breathe, thanks to his diving regulator, he felt no tooth, no big pain."So I realized, oh my God, I am in the mouth of a whale, and she tries to swallow me".
"I thought, that's it (...), I will die,.And I thought of my children, my wife, there is really no way to get out of there.And suddenly, she burst on the surface, started to shake her head.I was screened in the air and I landed in the water.And I was free, I just floated...I couldn't believe I got out.And I'm here to tell it ”.
See also - California: the hallucinating video of two kayakers "swallowed" by a humpback whale
TIPS
It turns out that Michael Packard has at least one witness, tried trustworthy: Josiah Mayo, who accompanied him in this fishing and followed him, with bubbles, from their boat.It was he who helped to recover it and called the rescuers for help.
However Josiah Mayo is the son of one of the researchers and whale experts of the Center for Coastal Studies (Center des Études Côteières) in provincetown, region where whales feed in this season, told AFP Jooke Robbins, Director ofStudies on humpback whales from the center."I know the people involved (...) so I have every reason to believe that what they say is true, ”she said.
Even if she has not seen anything and cannot be sure of what happened, and has so far never heard of an "accident" of this type, "it is possible that (the fisherman) was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time, "she said.
"Stay remotely"
When these whales are in search of food, "they rush, mouth open, and swallow fish and water very quickly, then reject the water through their balens", which act "like a filter", it wasshe explains."Their mouth is quite wide", but "their throat is quite narrow, there is no chance that they could swallow something big" like a man, she continued.
The whale - which, according to the description of the witnesses, was still young - was able to "not detect quickly that there was an intruder" in his catch, she explained.Once the man "swallowed", it is possible that she "was rather surprised and opened her mouth to get him out".
Even if we do not know all the details, for this specialist, a conclusion is essential: while the provincial region and CAP Cod see the tourists come back after 15 months of pandemic, "it is important that people are aware"Of these powerful marine mammals, which generally measure, depending on age, between 9 and 15 meters."If you see a whale, stay on a good distance.It is really important to leave the whales of the space, "warned Joke Robbins.
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