New film tells tale of lobster diver Michael Packard who was nearly swallowed by whale off Cape Cod
BOSTON - Michael Packard said he was nearly swallowed by a whale in a terrifying encounter off Cape Cod two years ago. His story is now the subject of a new documentary.
Back on June 11, 2021, the lobster diver based out of Provincetown told WBZ-TV he jumped off his boat into the water and "felt this huge bump and everything went dark." He initially thought he was being attacked by a shark.
"And then I felt around and I realized there was no teeth," he said. "And then I realized, 'Oh my God I'm in a whale's mouth. . . and he's trying to swallow me.'" While in the whale's mouth, Packard said he thought was was about to die.
"Then all of a sudden he went up to the surface and just erupted and started shaking his head. I just got thrown in the air and landed in the water," Packard recalled. "I was free and I just floated there. I couldn't believe. . . I'm here to tell it."
The story is now featured in the new documentary called, "In the Whale: The Greatest Fish Story Ever Told."
"The publicity was similarly dizzying for the reclusive fisherman, whose survival story spread around the world in news dispatches. But what came after the limelight dimmed was even more significant for Packard," the producers said on the film's website.
It will be shown at the New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth on Saturday.