A man who was swallowed whole by a whale says it wasn’t even the scariest thing to happen to him.
In a remarkable real-life tale that seems straight out of a Hollywood movie like Finding Nemo, Michale Packard found himself engulfed by a whale and miraculously, he emerged alive.
While Packard probably didn’t channel his inner Dory and communicate with the whale to orchestrate his escape, he did, in his own words, ‘f***ing fly out’ of the massive creature’s mouth.
The extraordinary chain of events unfolded when he embarked on an early morning diving excursion.
Learn more about Michale Packard being swallowed by a whale in the video below…
Packard’s first two dives went smoothly, but luck was not on his side during the third descent, as he was struck by an unexpected and formidable force.
Describing the harrowing experience, he recounted: “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.”
Despite the darkness and disorientation, Packard quickly realised he had been swallowed by a whale, not attacked by a shark, as he initially suspected.
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The intense pressure caused his regulator to dislodge from his mouth, prompting him to retrieve it urgently, exclaiming: “I better grab that f***ing thing.”
Within the whale’s belly, Packard grappled to free himself, all while the distressed creature thrashed about.
The entire situation was far from ideal for a man simply hoping to catch a few crustaceans.
Recalling his thoughts in those dire moments, Packard confessed to Cape Cod Times: “And I’m thinking to myself, ‘This is it, Michael. This is it. This is how you die’.
“And I was 100% sure that I wouldn’t get out of this situation. It was a done deal, and I thought about my kids and my wife.”
However, defying all odds, a remarkable turn of events unfolded.
The whale abruptly surfaced, displaying erratic behaviour and violently shaking its head.
As Packard vividly describes: “And then boom! I f***ing fly out of his mouth. And I’m like, ‘Oh my god’.”
Floating on the water’s surface, he became aware of his inflated dry suit, causing him to resemble a blimp.
Grateful for his continued ability to breathe, he recognised the danger of decompression sickness, commonly known as ‘the bends’.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Packard said: “And I was just looking up in the sky. I’m f***ed up, I know, but I think I’m going to live.”
True to his words, he indeed survived this astonishing encounter.
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Yet, the whale incident wasn’t the only brush with danger Packard has experienced.
As he revealed, he had also been involved in a plane crash, adding an eerie layer to his already remarkable life story.
Recounting the details of the crash, Packard shared: “I sat in the jungle for three days […] punctured lung and four broken ribs, 180 stitches in my head, cut Achilles.
“I probably would have lasted another day, so I had a lot of time to think about my mortality, so that was definitely more PTSD than this.”
One might expect such near-death encounters to have transformed Packard’s perspective on life, but he humorously remarked: “I’m still the same old guy doing my same old s***.”
Watch our Video of the Day below…
Written by Cal Gaunt
Cal is a former content editor at IGV who specialized in writing trending and entertainment news. He previously worked as a news reporter at the Lancashire Telegraph and earned an NCTJ in Sports Journalism.
Mom Explains Reason Why Grandparent Don’t Have The ‘Right’ To Kiss Or Hug Her Child
A mom took to social media and explained why she doesn’t allow her daughter’s grandparents to kiss or hug her.
Every parent has a routine or style when it comes to looking after their children, some may be firm but fair while others will try their best to be the child’s best pal.
But there is one thing all parents can agree on, which is looking out for their kids and teaching them important life lessons.
Brittany Baxter, from Australia, is teaching her daughter about consent.
In a viral TikTok video, she explained that adults, including the child’s grandparents, must ask her daughter for permission to kiss or hug her.
In the comments, she’s being praised for teaching such an important lesson.
A fellow parent shared: “This is so important! My husband and I are teaching consent as well. Recently, we started asking for hugs and kisses instead of saying ‘Give me a hug.’”
Another wrote: “Working on this with my two-year-old as well. We’ve had to reduce his interactions with my mother as she does not respect this. I feel no guilt.”
However, others believe Baxter has taken her views too far.
One viewer remarked: “How not to parent.”
Weighing in, a second added: “My grandparents hugged and kissed me as they pleased and I have no issues telling someone to go away if I don’t want to. This is just odd to me.”
In the video, Baxter began by saying (per the Mirror): “Can we please start normalizing the fact that kids do not have to kiss in front of adults?”
She continued: “My daughter’s almost two years old and I’ve been in the process of teaching her consent basically since the day that she’s been born.
“I find it really f***ing unhelpful when the adults in her life are like, ‘What?! We have to ask for a kiss and a hug?’ even though I’ve explained why multiple times.”
The mom explained that her daughter doesn’t ‘exist to make anyone feel more comfortable,’ adding: “It is not her fault and it’s not my fault that the older generation haven’t taken the time throughout their entire lives to learn how to regulate their emotions so consent doesn’t continue to be overlooked.
“No one’s feelings are ever going to be more important than my daughter’s right to her own body and I’m sure as s*** not going to allow her to grow up in an environment where, one, she doesn’t know how to say no.
“Two, she doesn’t know what it looks like for her not to be respected.”
She concluded her post by stressing that ‘grandparents [need to] do better.’
In a follow-up video, Baxter explained how she deals with anyone who oversteps the boundaries she has with her child, saying she will tell people they’re ‘practicing family consent’ and would appreciate it if they did the same.
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