A kayaker had a lucky escape this week after ending up in the jaws of a whale. Adrian Simancas, 23, was paddling through the icy waters near Chile, when a huge humpback whale emerged from the deep. It engulfed Mr Simancas in its mouth. Luckily, the esophagus of a humpback can only stretch to a diameter of 40 cm. No sooner had the humpback gulped up Simancas than it spat him back out into the ocean. Simancas' father captured the horrifying incident on video. He said: "Suddenly, I saw Adrian emerge from the waves, along with what looked like a gigantic animal."

Mr Simancas recounted his ordeal to journalists back on dry land. He said: "Something hit me from behind. All this happened in a second. Something dark…enveloped me, and a slimy texture brushed my face." He continued: "I started to sink… I was surrounded by water. I realized that I was in something's mouth, and I had been eaten." The Guardian newspaper reported: "For a few fleeting moments, Adrian's fate was in the jaws of the 40-ton [mammal]." Adrian said his close encounter with the whale would not stop him from future rafting trips.