A 40-tonne Bryde’s whale swallowed a 47-year old diver who was shooting a video of the annual sardine run in South Africa, leaving him terrified and thankful at the same time.

Rainer Schimpf thought it was the end of his life after being swallowed alive by the giant whale measuring about 15 meters long. The whale was supposed to attack a ball of fish swimming below Schimpf.

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Fortunately, the giant whale turned sharply and Schimpf avoided getting sucked into the mammal’s wide opened mouth. However, an inquisitive shark gave him one last shock after the whale breached just a few yards away.

Schimpf described the mouth of the whale as huge enough to swallow an entire car, adding that the whale may have barely felt him going in because of the sheer size of its oral cavity.

The incident happened in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where tourists gather for the annual sardine run. During this time, billions of tiny fish migrate in Africa’s east coast. The sardine run attracts dolphins, sharks, diving birds and whales, including the one that swallowed the diver.

Schimpf was a tour operator who, along with guests and his wife, went to witness the annual fish event. His wife even took photographs of him as the whale breached a few yards away. Although Schimpf kept his distance from the giant whale, he was helpless when it surfaced from the bottom to swallow the bait ball - a mass of sardines.

He said along with the bait ball below him was a group of sharks, and he realized that the Bryde’s whale was headed for him when the sharks scampered away. Schimpf added that the giant mammal must have known that he was there, causing it to change direction and miss most of the sardines.

Schimpf said if the whale had not diverted its direction, it would have swallowed him whole.

TagsRainer Schimpf, Port Elizabeth, Africa, Bryde's whale, sardine run