Dramatic Footage of Diver Narrowly Lacking Hit from Humpback Whale

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

Earlier in 2025, diver Timo Dersch was swimming via 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. Within the footage, Dersch paddles in entrance of a dramatic scene. Behind the person, orca whales weave via an enormous college of fish, selecting off the smaller swimmers as they churn by.

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

Earlier than 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. Because the humpback whale swims via the shot, the whale’s tail passes over Dersch’s head, nearly hitting the person.

Dersch dealt with the scenario calmly, permitting the humpback whale to swim over him with minimal interference. Though the shock encounter could appear scary to some, it has turn into a cherished second for the diver.

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“I used to be freediving with orcas in Norway, taking pictures 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, together with his dad, Dell Simancas, he was all of a sudden swallowed up by a humpback whale surging to the floor with its mouth broad.

Dell captured video of the whale closing its mouth round his son. Within 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 eager 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 may do.”