Cape Lobster Diver Injured When Caught In Whale's Mouth

PROVINCETOWN, MA — A commercial lobster diver suffered serious injuries Friday morning when he got trapped in a humpback whale's mouth off the coast of Cape Cod.

Cynthia Packard told the Cape Cod Times her brother Michael Packard was rushed to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis with at least one broken leg after the encounter off Provincetown. Michael Packard was in the whale's mouth for about 20 seconds, his sister said. Cynthia Packard learned about the incident from her brother's crewmate, who at first thought the whale was a great white shark.

According to the Center for Coastal Studies, dangerous human-whale encounters are rare. Humpback whales are not aggressive, and scientists with the center said the encounter was likely accidental while the whale was feeding.

For more on this story, read the Cape Cod Times.