‘I was swallowed whole by a whale – and I had only one thought’
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A lobster diver has revealed details about the petrifying moment he was swallowed whole by a whale.
Michael Packard found himself in the mouth of a humpback whale in Provincetown, Massachusetts in June 2021.
The death-defying incident hit headlines across the globe – and now he’s told all in a Reddit Ask Me Anything online event where people were able to put their questions directly to him.
READ MORE: 'I was swallowed whole by a whale – everything went black and I thought I'd die'
And unbelievably it wasn't the 57-year-old’s first brush with death, having also been involved in a plane crash in 2001 that killed three people.
LadBible reports that Packard said: "[I was] trapped for about 30-40 seconds.
“Yes, I was almost convinced I was going to die that day."
He added: "I could've suffocated, or drowned if I didn't retrieve my regulator in time."
The whale spat Packard out before swimming off and once back on dry land he went to hospital.
"I said, 'I got stuck in a whale's mouth'," he said.
"All the nurses and doctors at the hospital came to see me and ask me about it.
"One nurse came in with a notepad, she asked me for lottery numbers!"
Another person on the online Q&A asked him what his last thought was after he realised he’d been eaten by a whale.
Packard replied: "My wife and kids."
His son Jacob was also on hand at the online event to share how he felt about his dad’s unreal experience.
He said: "I got pulled out of Spanish class and got told there was an accident, whale related.
“Went the rest of the day without further knowledge.
“Really nerve wracking."
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After the incident Packard did an interview where he explained in more detail what had happened.
He said: "I dove down and I was descending to the bottom. And I just got slammed. Just like a freight train… and then all of a sudden it went black.
"And water was just rushing, rushing around me, and black, and I could feel pressure on my whole body. And I was just moving through the water like wicked fast. And I'm like 'what the f**k'."
Packard was also on a flight from San José to Puerto Jimenez when it crashed, killing three people.
He suffered severe facial injuries and multiple broken long bones in his arms and legs. He and four others passengers survived two nights in the Costa Rican jungle before being found by rescuers.
- Animals
- Near-death experience
- Injuries
- Hospital
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