This is the incredible moment a deep sea diver escaped being feasted on by a Bryde whale after he was sucked into the large mammal’s mouth.

Director of Dive Expert Tours Rainer Schimpf, 51, from South Africa, had set off with his team of divers to document a sardine run when events took a surprising turn off Port Elizabeth Harbour, east of Cape Town.

In a situation reminiscent to the Old Testament’s Jonah and the whale, Mr Schimpf was left facing a potentially fatal outcome as he entered the inside of the large creature’s mouth. Mr Schimpf and his team, who had split into two groups, had been documenting a natural event which sees the likes of gannets, penguins, seals, dolphins, whales and sharks come together to capture large quantities of fish. he team were 25 nautical miles from shore when the sea suddenly began to churn and Mr Schimpf was swallowed into the mouth of the beast like the Bible’s Jonah.

Following the incredible incident, Mr Schimpf told Barcroft TV that he had been trying to film a shark going through a bait ball when his surroundings suddenly became dark and he felt the large whale grab hold of his body. He told Barcroft TV: ‘I could feel the pressure on my hip, there is no time for fear in a situation like that – you have to use your instinct.’  Mr Schimpf added: ‘Nothing can actually prepare you for the event when you end up inside the whale – it’s pure instinct. ‘I held my breath because I thought he is going to dive down and release me much deeper in the ocean, it was pitch black inside.’