Moment diver cheats death by inches when giant whale nearly swallows him whole

Published: 12:47, 3 June 2026 | Updated: 12:58, 3 June 2026 A diver has cheated death after nearly being eaten alive by a giant whale catching fish. Two divers were filming a school of sardines off the coast of South Africa, but they weren't the only ones who had their sights set on the fish. In the astonishing video footage, the diver is seen swimming on his side before the Bryde's whale emerges and opens its huge mouth - just inches away from the man.  He manages to keep swimming unharmed and remains calm despite being seconds away from being swallowed. A Bryde's whale can grow up to 14 meters long and weigh as much as 50 tons.  The mammal typically does not prey on humans, but they feed by moving rapidly to engulf schools of fish.  If a human is too close, the swimmer could be accidentally swallowed or hit with significant force. Experts advise that humans stay at least 91 metres away from whales and even further back if a calf is present. A diver has cheated death after nearly being eaten alive by a giant whale catching fish Two divers were filming a school of sardines off the coast of South Africa , but they weren't the only ones who had their sights set on the fish  In the shocking video footage, the diver is seen swimming on his side before the Bryde whale emerges and opens its huge mouth - just inches away from the man The Bryde's whale can grow up to 14 meters long and weigh as much as 50 tons Last year, a kayaker revealed he was almost swallowed and eaten by a humpback whale in southern Chile. Adrian Simancas was paddling off the Patagonian city of Punta Arenas when the giant baleen surged out of the water swallowing him and his yellow kayak whole. Five seconds later, he bobbed to the surface, as the whale's dorsal again emerged above the surface of the frigid gray water. 'I thought he'd swallowed me!' Simancas exclaimed. 'I thought it had already eaten me and swallowed me. But of course, I felt that maybe it was a killer whale,' Adrian said after the unexpected encounter with the humpback whale. 'We had been talking about orcas shortly before, so I had that in my head, but when I got out I understood that, of course, it was probably out of curiosity that the whale had approached me or maybe to communicate something.'  The entire episode was caught on camera and posted on social media by his father, Dell Simancas, who can be heard shouting 'Relax! Relax!'  'When I turn around, I don't see Adrian, my partner, my son. I don't see him and I don't see the boat. So I was surprised and worried,' Dell later said.  Last year, kayaker Adrian Simancas (pictured) revealed he was almost swallowed and eaten by a humpback whale in southern Chile Pictured: The astonishing moment the whale breached the water and 'pulled Adrian down' 'Then I see him come to the surface and after him the boat comes to the surface. I see a body part of a whale.' Admitting his thoughts turned to his wife and two boys then aged 12 and 15, he continued: '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 can't believe I'm here to tell it.' The incident happened in the freezing waters of the 350 mile-long Straits of Magellan, considered the most important natural passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.