Whale Accidentally Swallows Diver

Wildlife photography is guaranteed to tell a story, whether you want it to do so or not.

One diver almost found himself re-enacting Jonah and the whale this week as he was accidentally swallowed by a Bryde’s whale while “documenting a sardine run” according to PetaPixel.

This would-be Jonah, Rainer Schimpf, was then promptly spat out by the whale as soon as it realized that Schimpf wasn’t what it was looking for in a meal.

Really, that’s not shocking since those whales mainly feed on smaller creatures and aren’t known for munching on divers. But, if you hang out around a bunch of sardines, things might happen that you don’t expect.

Luckily for us, Schimpf was accompanied on his journey by photographer Heinz Toperczer who caught the whole thing on camera.

What began as an educational expedition instead turned into a once-in-a-lifetime film capture. The sardine run is a large gathering of the aforementioned fish which are then promptly feasted upon by a collection of animals including “gannets, penguins, seals, dolphins, whales, and sharks” according to PetaPixel.

Think of it as the Country Buffett of the sea, and sardines are the only thing on the menu.

And Schimpf is no stranger to diving, especially in this area. With some 15 years of experience under his belt, Schimpf has seen it all – literally. Now he can really add an underscore to that statement.

Barcroft Animals was even kind enough to string all of the pictures together into an epic video that you can view on YouTube by clicking here.

It’s really cool stuff and, thankfully, no one was hurt in the filming of the whole thing. That’s a good thing, too, as the crew was some 25 nautical miles away from shore, meaning that a serious injury would probably be life-threatening.