Whale ‘Swallows’ Submariner for a Few Seconds

Today’s guest post comes to us from EvangelicalFocus.com. 

A dive tour operator in South Africa experienced a very uncommon situation as a whale briefly swallowed him – spitting him out again after a few seconds. The rare Jonah-like incident was captured on camera.

Rainer Schimpf and other people “set off to document a sardine run – a natural event where gannets, penguins, seals, dolphins, whales, and sharks work together to gather the fish into bait balls”, reports the website Barcroft TV.

He and others in a team of expert environmentalists were in the water. “I was trying to get a shot of a shark going through the bait ball”, he says. “Then, the next moment it got dark and I felt some pressure when I instantly knew, a whale had grabbed me”, Schimpf recalls.

Bryde’s Whales can reach up to 15 meters in length and 30 tonnes. They hunt for large swarms of potential prey, engulfing whatever is possible. The animal probably was not aware that he was swallowing the submariner.

“I held my breath because I thought he is going to dive down and release me much deeper in the ocean”, explained Schimpf, adding: “It was pitch black inside”.

The 51-year-old submariner adds: “Nothing can actually prepare you for the event when you end up inside the whale – it’s pure instinct”.

The whale soon realized something was wrong, and spat the man out again, unharmed. A colleague of the film crew was able to take several pictures of what happened, from a boat.

“I’ve never experienced any situation like that”, Schimpf told Barcroft TV.

Click here to read the original article.

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About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.

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