A diver almost got swallowed by a whale while searching for lobsters

A diver certainly did not have a whale of a time on Friday, after he said a humpback trapped him in his mouth in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, before spitting him back out into the sea.

Michael Packard, who has been diving for lobsters for 40 years, told WBZ-TV News that “everything went dark” after he entered the water, and first thought he was under attack from a shark until he couldn’t find any teeth.

“Then I realised, ‘Oh my God, I’m in a whale’s mouth … and he’s trying to swallow me.

“Then all of a sudden, he went up to the surface and just erupted and started shaking his head. I just got thrown in the air and landed in the water. I was free and I just floated there. I couldn’t believe … I’m here to tell it,” said the 56-year-old.

Packard believes he was in the mouth of the animal for around 30-40 seconds before being released.

The bizarre story has already gone viral online, with many drawing comparisons between Packard’s encounter and the Bible tale of Jonah and the whale:

Just a reminder that humpback whales don’t eat humans, with Jooke Robbins from the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown telling the Cape Cod Times that “this would have to be a mistake and an accident on the part of the humpback”.