This episode was originally published on March 21, 2025. 

There are moments that define each of our lives. Some we can predict: graduations, marriages, births, deaths. Others? Not so much.

And in the year 2025, when the stars aligned just so, you may have found that moment explode online.

That's what happened to 23-year-old Adrián Simancas. Last year in Feb. 2025, Adrián was paddling the Straight of Magellan, with his father Dell, when the unimaginable happened: a humpback whale emerged from the water and engulfed him in its open mouth — and his father captured it all on video. Almost immediately, the video went viral.

Simancas sat down with Endless Thread to discuss his whale tale, the deluge of attention that followed, and what he's learned from his intimate moment with nature.

Show notes: 

• Video of Adrián's whale encounter. We originally saw it on the Reddit thread: r/ThatsInsane
• Adrián Simanca's Youtube channel
• Dell Simanca's Youtube channel
• Did a whale swallow a kayaker? The truth behind the viral video (NPR)