Did Kayaker Get Eaten By Whale?

In November 2020, two kayakers, Julie McSorley and Liz Cottriel, were kayaking off the coast of Avila Beach, California, when they unintentionally became the stars of a viral video. The pair were paddling a tandem kayak together in San Luis Obispo Bay when one of the massive sea creatures surfaced. The video shows a large humpback whale swallowing a kayaker, causing a near-Jonah moment for both women.

The video shows the two kayakers, who were shaken but unharmed, coming up to the surface after the video cut off. Humpback whales do not intentionally consume humans, but the women were just a bit too close to the bait bail of fish the whale did want to eat. The video was filmed in November 2020 while McSorley was kayaking with her friend Liz Cottriel in California’s San Luis Obispo Bay.

Footage from a witness nearby makes it appear as if the kayakers are being swallowed by the whale, but the two just tipped over. The short clip shows the hair-raising moment when a large humpback whale nearly swallowed two kayakers whole. The incident highlights the importance of understanding the behavior of whales and their potential dangers when encountering them.