London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 09, 2026

"It Was A Done Deal": Man Swallowed By Humpback Whale In US Describes Encounter

"It Was A Done Deal": Man Swallowed By Humpback Whale In US Describes Encounter

Michael Packard was trapped inside a humpback whale's mouth for approximately 40 seconds.
A man from the United States has recalled how he nearly died last year, after being swallowed by a giant humpback whale.

Back in June 2021, Michael Packard from Massachusetts discussed how he was trapped inside a humpback whale's mouth for approximately 40 seconds. Back then, in an interview with Cape Cod Times, he had noted that when he went into the water for a dive, he was about 10 feet from the bottom, before being swallowed whole by the mammal.

Now, one year later, Mr Packard, who is a veteran lobster diver, has again spoken about how the incident happened, acknowledging how it occurred on "just a normal day".

Speaking to Cape Cod Times, Mr Packard explained, "I get in the water and I did two dives. And then (on the) third dive, I dove down and I was descending to the bottom. And I was just about to the bottom. And I just got slammed. Just like a freight train ... and then all of a sudden it went black."

He remembered how the water was just rushing around him, as he was moving through it "wicked fast," and he could "feel pressure on (his) whole body". He revealed that as he was still in the giant whale's mouth, his breathing device had fallen out, which he tried to grab, as he was worried that this was how he was going "to die".

"I was like, 'I better grab that f***ing thing," Mr Packard said about the device. "And I put it back in my mouth. And I'm in there, and I'm trying to get out, and [the whale is] f***ing freaking out," he added.

"I'm thinking to myself, 'This is it, Michael. This is it. This is how you die,'" he continued. "And I was 100 per cent 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, fortunately, Mr Packard told the outlet that he ultimately got out of the whale's mouth, as the mammal started going up to the surface and "shaking his head". The whale got all erratic, he said, adding, "And then boom! I f***ing fly out of his mouth. And I'm like, 'Oh my god.'"

Mr Packard further went on to say that once he was floating on the surface, he thought about how grateful he was that his "lungs didn't explode," while in the whale's mouth.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hyper-Realistic Reborn Dolls Draw Collectors Seeking Comfort and Craft
Gen Z Cuts Back on Dating as a Night Out Nears $200
Patients Turn to Artificial Intelligence for Therapy as Psychiatrists Warn of Privacy and Clinical Risks
Couples Embrace ‘Sleep Divorce’ to Protect Rest and Reduce Tension
Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million and Change Facebook and Instagram Safeguards for Children
Up to only 10 Months in Prison for Swedish Officer’s Murderer Sparks Anger
Success: Nvidia Turned Gaming Chips Into the Engine of the AI Boom
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Advertising trick: Pepsi’s Harrier Jet Commercial Led to a $700,000 Court Fight
Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns
Danube Drought Exposes Nazi Wrecks and Pushes Central Europe’s Power System to the Brink
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Air Traffic Control Outage Grounded Flights Across the Midwest
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
Partial Solar Eclipse Expected to Draw Interest Across Southwestern UK
UK Graduate Job Postings Fall 7% as Entry-Level Opportunities Remain Scarce
UK Private Sector Returns to Growth as July Activity Reaches Highest Level Since April
UK Summer Drought and Wildfires Raise Pressure for Stronger Environmental Measures
UK Household Credit Stress Rises as Credit Card Lending Growth Hits 12.5%
London Stock Exchange Revises AIM Rules to Make Growth Capital More Accessible
NHS England to Expand Mental Health Services With 155 New and Upgraded Facilities
UK Overhauls £90 Billion Public Procurement System to Reward Domestic Jobs and Apprenticeships
Andy Burnham Holds Strong Approval as Labour Maintains Narrow Lead Over Reform UK, Opinium Finds
Royal Navy Monitored Russian Warships and Shadow Fleet Tankers for 21 Days in July
Australian Crew Evacuates Seriously Ill American From Antarctica in Midwinter Darkness
Trump’s Top General Seeks an Exit Strategy From Iran War, Report Says
Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Closing a Career of Rare Athletic Range and Lasting Controversy
Welsh First Minister Raises Independence With UK Prime Minister in First High-Level Call
UK Maintains Severe Terror Threat Level as Prevent Report Highlights Online Radicalization
YouGov Poll Shows Labour Favourability Improves as Reform UK and Greens Lose Ground
Brexit Campaigner Arron Banks Admits Hiring Private Investigator to Examine Journalist
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
July 2026 Was England and Wales’ Driest Month on Record, Met Office Says
UK Government Considers Public Inquiry Into Jeffrey Epstein’s UK Connections
Trump-Era Policy Shifts Test the Boundaries of U.S. Institutions
UK Drought Cuts Harvests and Raises Food-Security Fears
UFO: Pentagon Releases Video of Unidentified Object Tracked Over Middle East
US Health Secretary: “I’m Not Afraid of Germs — I Used to Snort Cocaine Off Toilet Seats”
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Trump Keeps Hegseth at Pentagon While Leaving Door Open for DeSantis
UK Clears Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery Deal, but US Trial Looms
UK Prosecutors Add 38 Charges Against Andrew and Tristan Tate
Taiwan’s President Joins Wartime Command Drill as China Pressure Grows
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Mutual-Defence Pact
Government Orders Review of Prison Release Rules After Concerns Over Grooming Gang Offenders
Rail Disruption Continues Across North-West England Amid Infrastructure Problems and Engineering Closures
UK Tax Authority Proposes Broad Changes to Rules Governing Company Distributions
×