A diver is lucky to be alive after a giant whale swallowed him while he was snorkeling off the coast of South Africa. Rainer Schimpf was in the water with two others using a bait bail of sardines to lure sharks when a 45-foot Bryde's whale swam to the surface hoping to enjoy a meal of fresh sardines.
"We were very astonished that out of nowhere this whale came up," he told Sky News. "I was busy concentrating on the sharks because you want to know if the shark is in front of you or behind you, left or right, so we were very focused on the sharks and their behavior -- then suddenly it got dark."
As the whale inhaled the sardines, it also captured Schimpf in its huge mouth. Schimpf relied on his training and experience and held his breath, expecting the whale to dive to the bottom of the ocean.
He knew that he was too large for the whale to eat, and figured it would spit him out at some point. Luckily, the whale realized it inhaled Schimpf and immediately opened its mouth to spit him out.
"I was just holding myself and bracing myself and calming myself down not to be panicked, and it worked out,'' he told TODAY. "He spat me out, and everybody's happy."