Two kayakers were nearly swallowed by a humpback whale that leaped out of the sea with open mouth.
The very close encounter took place in Avila Beach, California, where Liz Cottriel and Julie McSorley were whale watching while kayaking.
As the two friends were sitting in their kayak, birds started gathering in the sky above them. All of a sudden, a giant whale leaped out of the water with an open mouth, sending the pair and nearby fish flying.
In a video taken by one of the witnesses, the two women are seen landing right into the whale’s mouth along with their kayak.
Moments after they all fell back into the water, the giant mammal spat the humans out. Meanwhile, other people were already on their way to help the pair.
“I’m thinking to myself, ‘I’m gonna push’. Like, I’m gonna push a whale out of the way! It was the weirdest thought. I’m thinking, ‘I’m dead. I’m dead’. I thought it was gonna land on me. Next thing I know, I’m under water,” Cottriel recalled in an interview with Fox 26 News.
Shortly after nearly getting swallowed by the whale, the pair of kayakers resurfaced in shock. Fortunately, they were not harmed during the incident.
“We got back to the car, I was shaking my shirt and a bunch of fish came out of my shirt,” Cottriel added.
As it seems, the humpback whale was hunting a school of fish when it came across the kayakers who found themselves in the animal’s path.
“I was infatuated by them and in awe. But I never expected one to be right here, in my face!” Liz said.
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