Having a whale of a time, and surviving

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March 12, 2019

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Having a whale of a time, and surviving

Source: AFP | 00:13 UTC+8 March 12, 2019 |

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Like the Bible’s Jonah, Rainer Schimpf has narrowly survived after being caught in the jaws of a whale.

The 51-year-old marine conservationist was swept into the mouth of a large Bryde’s whale off the coast of the southern South African town of Port Elizabeth while filming a sardine run last month.

“Looming up out of darkness below came a Bryde’s whale shooting up into the ball of fish, gulping all in its path,” he said, adding that his legs were hanging from the mammal’s mouth during the incident at the end of February.

Schimpf’s wife Silke and a photographer watched on in horror from their boat, chartered to watch the famous sardine run which creates a marine feeding frenzy off Africa’s southern coast.

“I felt some pressure around my waist and I immediately knew what had happened,” Schimpf said. “(It) accidentally included me in its mouth together with its main meal — the sardines.”

Schimpf, an award-winning conservationist with 20 years’ experience, said the ordeal lasted “matter of seconds” — rather than the three nights Jonah spent in a whale’s stomach, according to the Biblical tale.

“(Then) the whale realized its mistake and opened its mouth releasing me. I was washed out with what felt like tons of water from its mouth,” he said.

Bryde’s whales can weigh up to 30 tons when mature and typically eat krill and fish.

When he finally reached the surface he took a breath and rejoined his fellow snorkelers who were unaware of the unfolding drama.

“We swam back to the vessel, climbed up and checked if I and the camera were OK — no broken bones, no cracked ribs — so all was good,” he said.

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Having a whale of a time, and surviving

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