A whale swallowed a diver and then spit it out

The image of a whale swallowing a man He has traveled the world C & # 39; was near the coast of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and the protagonist of the story is a diver who, incredibly, he is alive.

The Bible says that the prophet Jonah spent three days inside a whale. South African Rainer Schimpf had the same experience but only stayed a few seconds Inside a rump Bryde (a 15-meter, 25-tonne cetacean) while filming a school of sardines.

"I had started shooting at dolphins, sharks, gannets and penguins that were feeding on sardines when, from below, a Bryde's whale appeared suddenly," he said. l & # 39; agency. AFP This activist defends the environment.

"I felt pressure around my waist and I immediately knew what was going on," he added. "It's only a few seconds, the time the whale realizes its mistake and he opened his mouth to spit"

The wife of the diver and a photographer witnessed the incident and documented the scene. The images that have managed to capture only the two legs of Rainer Shimpf are visible outside the mouth of the whale, a rare and difficult to photograph that feeds on small fish and crustaceans.

The diver, once safe, was quick to return to the water. He admitted that they had checked "if all was well, that he had no bones or broken ribs". Schimpf, 51, is not a beginner: he has 20 years of experience and is aware of the dangers to which he is exposed during his underwater expeditions.

"Predators like whales or sharks attack their prey and our visibility is often very limited," he said. "Our determination to ensure the greatest protection and special attention to the environment remains intact. I would like to do it like a whale"said Schimpf, pointing out that he did not hold grudges for the complicated moment he lived.