Swimming with whales has been described
as one of the most breathtaking
experiences on Earth,
and today you get to try it out!
As you get so close to the majestic beasts
that you can almost pat them,
you realize
you've never felt this in touch
with nature before.
But then everything goes dark,
and your body is tossed around aggressively.
You've just been scooped up
in a whale's mouth.
You struggle to find your way out,
but what are your chances
against a 15-ton animal?
Most people would tell you that being
swallowed by a whale is an immediate
death sentence.
And they'd have good reason for it.
But that doesn't mean that survival
is impossible.
Just ask Rainer Schimpf.
In 2007,
he was gobbled up by a whale
while taking pictures off South Africa's coast.
He immediately held his breath
until the whale promptly spit him back out.
But what if you weren't released so quickly?
Here are some ways
that you could get out alive.
Oh, and just to be clear,
there's only one type of whale
that could theoretically
swallow a human whole.
Most people would think that's the blue whale.
Blue whales have giant mouths that could fit
hundreds of people inside,
and they keep their mouths wide open
as they travel through the ocean.
But the baleen plates inside their mouths
would prevent a person from being swallowed.
Even if someone did make it past those,
the blue whale's esophagus
is only 25 cm (10 in) across
too small to allow a human through.
The only whales that would have no trouble
swallowing us humans are sperm whales,
so let's see how we can avoid
becoming their dinner.
Bring your arms and legs into your body
as tightly as you can,
and lower your chin to your chest.
You need to curl up into the tightest
ball you can.
This will minimize your body's surface area,
and decrease the chance
you'll get chomped up by the whale's teeth.
Sperm whales have 18-26 teeth
on each side of their jaws,
and each tooth weighs up to 1 kg (2.2 lbs).
Even if you were curled up into a ball,
you'd still be lucky to make it through
the mouth without losing an arm or leg,
but at least you'd have a chance.
Yes, we realize that it's easier said than done,
but there is no time for fear.
In a situation like this,
you have to use your instincts.
Try to feel around in the mouth
before you get swallowed.
It will be extremely dark,
but if you can find something to hold onto,
you won't get burned and digested
in any of the whale's four stomachs.
You could try to grab on to the walls
of the esophagus,
but that would be very difficult
as it is covered in mucus.
Some people might think you're a little
paranoid when you show up to swim
with the whales in your elaborate wetsuit,
but it could very well save your life.
You would want a suit
that's resistant to hydrochloric acid,
so that you could survive
in the whale's stomachs.
One type of suit that might do the trick
is called a neoprene wetsuit.
There is some evidence that it could
withstand the harsh environment
in the stomach.
You would also need a breathing tube
and an oxygen reservoir
because there wouldn't be any breathable air.
It worked for our friend Rainer Schimpf,
so why couldn't it work for you?
He was lucky enough to be spit out
before he was swallowed,
but in your case
it's going to be a little more difficult.
And gross.
Luckily for you,
sperm whales need to vomit
every several hours.
So if you were able to survive long enough,
you could be spit up with it.
But don't get too excited.
Because surviving all depends
on where you get spit out.
Whales can swim at a depth
of 100 m (3,290 ft),
whereas the human body
can only swim at a depth of
20 m (65 ft) without assistance.
So if the whale's thinking of
spewing you out
on the deep part of his swim,
you've probably got a better chance
living through it if you just stay inside.
It might seem like common sense,
but if you want to avoid
being swallowed by a whale,
how about you just stay away from the
only ones that can swallow humans?
If another type of whale
scoops you up in their mouth,
you'll have a much better chance of survival.
Take the humpback whale, for instance.
When this whale approaches a potential meal,
such as a school of krill,
they propel themselves forward
with a burst of energy,
open their mouths wide
and let whatever is in their way flood in.
When something larger than
krill enters their mouths,
they'll use their tongues to force it back out.
As you have probably gathered by now,
even though it is technically possible
to survive being swallowed by a whale,
it's extremely unlikely.
But luckily for us,
whales are generally
not that interested in humans.
If you are going to worry about anything
eating you in the water,
it should probably be sharks.
And even if you run into them,
we've got just the video
to help you get out alive.