A 51-year-old dive tour operator found himself in the jaws of a Bryde’s whale while snorkeling off the coast of South Africa.
Rainer Schimpf is an experienced marine conservationist and photographer who was taking footage of the whales in a feeding frenzy.
The whale caught Schimpf head-first around his waist while he was swimming in the middle of the sardine bait ball and quickly released him as it swallowed the fish in its throat.