Dramatic Footage of Diver Narrowly Missing Hit from Humpback Whale

A freediver observing orcas was interrupted by one other species of whale.

Earlier in 2025, diver Timo Dersch was swimming by means of the chilly waters surrounding Norway to watch killer whales feast from a faculty of fish.

Dersch filmed himself freediving with the black-and-white marine mammals. In the footage, Dersch paddles in entrance of a dramatic scene. Behind the person, orca whales weave by means of an unlimited college of fish, selecting off the smaller swimmers as they churn by.

After a short second of serene silence, a humpback whale surges up from under the body and punches by means of the varsity of fish. The massive whale glides proper previous Dersch, who seems shocked by the humpback’s sudden look.

Before Dersch can absolutely get his bearings, a second humpback whale prices previous the diver with its mouth open, narrowly avoiding putting Dersch with its gargantuan maw. As the humpback whale swims by means of the shot, the whale’s tail passes over Dersch’s head, nearly hitting the person.

Dersch dealt with the state of affairs calmly, permitting the humpback whale to swim over him with minimal interference. Although the shock encounter could seem scary to some, it has turn out to be a cherished second for the diver.

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“I used to be freediving with orcas in Norway, taking photographs of their feeding when a whale got here as much as swallow the bait,” Dersch advised Storyful in regards to the clip. “I moved out of the way in which, not realizing one other humpback got here up behind me attempting to do the identical factor.”

The diver additionally shared footage of the expertise on his Instagram, calling the second with the “mild giants” “unimaginable.”

Kayaker Adrián Simancas had a extra intense expertise with a humpback whale. On Saturday, Feb. 8, whereas kayaking within the Strait of Magellan, a vacationer attraction in Chilean Patagonia, along with his dad, Dell Simancas, he was abruptly swallowed up by a humpback whale surging to the floor with its mouth vast.

Dell captured video of the whale closing its mouth round his son. In the footage, Adrián disappears contained in the animal after which reappears a number of yards away a number of seconds later.

The humpback, a filter feeder dwelling off krill and small fish, did not seem curious about consuming the kayaker, so the person escaped the animal’s mouth with out struggling.

“I felt on my face like a slimy texture; I noticed colours like darkish blue, white, one thing approaching from behind that closed… and sank me,” Adrián advised CNN about his terrifying second contained in the whale. “At that second, I assumed there was nothing I might do.”