How to Survive Getting Swallowed By a Whale

[Music] [Music] [Music] 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 [Music] 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 here's how to survive getting swallowed by a whale 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 rayner schiff 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 how could you avoid being sliced up by the whale's teeth is there any way to survive the burning acids of its four stomachs and when would be a bad time to make your escape 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 hole 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 centimeters 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 [Music] number one curl up into a tight ball 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 to 26 teeth on each side of their jaws and each tooth weighs up to one kilogram 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 number two don't panic yes we realize that'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 on to you won't get burned and digested in any of the whale's four stomachs you could try to grab onto the walls of the esophagus but that would be very difficult as it's covered in mucus number three wear a protective suit 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 it 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 number four wait to be spit up it worked for our friend rainer shim 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 meters whereas the human body can only swim at a depth of 20 meters 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 [Music] number five avoid sperm whales 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 [Music]

Channel: How to Survive

Views: 9,192,672

Keywords: survive, how to survive, survival, science, can you survive, could you survive, Top 10 survival, survival guide, survival tips, survival documentary, animal attack, swallowed by a whale, survival video, dangerous situations, what to do in dangerous situations, documentaries, scuba diving, swimming with whales, caught on camera, amazing stories, whale encounter, survivor, barcroft tv, whale swallows diver, lobster diver, cape cod, michael packard, spat out, inside a whale

Id: EZLUGlKdUsY

Length: 6min 1sec (361 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 24 2020