Note: we are republishing this story, which originally made the news in June 2022.
A Massachusetts lobster diver is sharing the incredible story of how he survived what experts describe as an extraordinarily rare encounter after being briefly trapped inside the mouth of a humpback whale while diving off Cape Cod.
Michael Packard, a veteran commercial lobster diver, had entered the water for his second dive of the morning near Herring Cove Beach when the unimaginable happened.
Packard said he was descending toward the ocean floor, surrounded by schools of fish in clear water, when he was suddenly struck by an immense force. Within moments, daylight disappeared.
He recalled feeling as though he had been engulfed entirely, surrounded by darkness while sensing powerful muscles pressing around him. At first, he feared he had fallen victim to a great white shark, but after realizing there were no teeth or severe bite injuries, he concluded he had somehow ended up inside a humpback whale’s mouth.
Believing he might not survive, Packard said his thoughts immediately turned to his two sons.
Still wearing his scuba gear, Packard struggled as the whale moved through the water. He estimated he remained inside the animal for roughly half a minute before the whale surfaced and forcefully expelled him back into the ocean.
His crewmate, Josiah Mayo, witnessed the dramatic scene from the boat, quickly pulled Packard from the water and radioed for emergency assistance before rushing him back to shore. He was transported to Cape Cod Hospital, where he was treated and later released with soft tissue injuries but no broken bones.
Marine experts say the incident appears to have been nothing more than an accidental encounter during a feeding dive.
Jooke Robbins, director of Humpback Whale Studies at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, explained that humpback whales feed by opening their enormous mouths to capture schools of small fish. During that process, their vision is temporarily obstructed, making it possible—though exceedingly uncommon—for them to unintentionally scoop up an object that isn’t prey.
Robbins noted that humpback whales are not aggressive toward humans and lack the anatomy to swallow a person. Their narrow esophagus prevents a human from passing into the stomach, meaning someone accidentally caught in the whale’s mouth would likely be expelled.
Michael Packard lying in a hospital bed, smiling broadly and giving a thumbs-up
Other whale experts echoed that assessment, describing the encounter as an exceptionally rare accident rather than intentional behavior.
Despite the frightening experience, Packard said he intends to return to commercial diving after recovering from his injuries. Having survived dangerous currents, previous diving mishaps and even a plane crash years earlier, the seasoned diver called the whale encounter one of the most extraordinary experiences of his life.
