PROVINCETOWN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Provincetown lobster diver who was swallowed by a humpback whale on Friday is answering questions about the experience from the public.
Michael Packard's son transcribed his answers on the social media message board Reddit.
What did it feel like?
Packard described the feeling of being swallowed as "Full of water... I could feel the muscles of its mouth convulsing around me, it was a really strange feeling to be sure."
He said the whale's mouth was "spacious enough for me to move my arms at least."
Packard said he was stuck in the whale for about 30-40 seconds, convinced he was going to die. He said he thought of his wife and children. The inside of the whale was "pitch black, couldn’t see anything at all," he said.
Were you injured? What happened?
Packard said the he felt the whale came up from behind him and then close down on his body when he was in the water diving for lobsters.
He said he was lightly injured because the whale clamped down on his legs, describing the injuries as "soft tissue damage, nothing serious."
The whale "turned out completely ok," but said it was "Maybe a bit annoyed."
Packard was wearing a diving mask and regulator, but it was knocked out of his mouth and he couldn't breathe for a short time.
The humpback eventually spit Packard out into the water near his boat.
Will this impact your career going forward?
"I’m getting back in the water as soon as possible. This job is my life, wouldn’t stop for anything," Packard said.
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