There’s a story about a man who was swallowed by a whale. 

In June of 2021, lobster diver Michael Packard claimed he was swallowed by a humpback whale while swimming off of the coast of Cape Cod. He miraculously survived because he said that the whale spit him out and he swam to freedom. 

He was swallowed by a whale and survived. 

A whale is one of the largest animals in the world. Typically, large things are to be feared; trucks and tsunamis hurt people. Yet, Michael Packard remained relatively physically unharmed after being in the mouth of the marine mammoth.

Despite being massive, whales are gentle giants —non-combative, targetable, vulnerable. The story of Hvaldimir is a story of a whale where the humans have been the giants.

One icy day, reindeer were traipsing through the Norwegian mountains, and the snow was bouncing through the air, glazing over the view of the ocean. Suddenly, a white head popped out of the sea alongside the boats of fishermen. Under the glassy dark navy ocean, the rest of the bleached animal’s body was visible. 

His mouth jutted out below his nose giving him a permanent smile. His eyes marked the end of his long head and the start of his stomach. His two little fins acted as his arms and his stomach led to a skinny tale. He was a beluga whale and his name was Hvaldimir.

The Norwegians were concerned as beluga whales had not previously been in Norwegian waters, historically sticking to the waters of Canada, Greenland, and Russia. Wrapped around the whale’s stomach was a beige harness. The whale kept coming above the water in such a way that he seemed to be asking for help. So the fisherman Joar Hesten contacted a marine biologist to find out how best to take care of this vulnerable creature. 

Hesten wore an orange wetsuit that matched his fiery hair when he dove into the frigid water. While he was freeing Hvaldimir from the harness, he noticed a small camera attached as well as a nametag that read, “equipment of St Petersburg.”  The Norwegians quickly named him “Hvaldimir,” combining Vladimir Putin's name with the Norwegian name for whale (Hval), as they the Norwegians suspected that Russian military had sent Hvaldimir to spy. 

Hvaldimir appeared alone. If he had come from Russia, he had not made the long trek to Norway surrounded by a pod of friends. The distance between Saint Petersburg and Norway is about 725 miles. It takes over twenty hours for a ferry to travel from Saint Petersburg to Hammerfest, Norway, which is where Hvaldimir appeared. So, one must ask what was Hvaldimir’s path to Norway? How did he get there? How long did he have to swim? How long was he alone? Beluga whales are incredibly social animals, and they can almost always be found in pods swimming together at a “cruising” maximum of three miles an hour. After Hvaldimir’s journey, he seemed to settle into a contented existence in the Hammerfest harbor, his spying days apparently over and a new life as a valued animal begun. He wiggled his way so deep into the hearts of those who lived around the Hammerfest port that a special feeding program was developed for him, as he was struggling to find food for himself and was malnourished after his long journey. The fisherman fed Hvaldimir off their boats until, one day, Hvaldimir was strong enough to leave. After some weeks of being nurtured by these people, thanks to Hesten, Hvaldimir returned to the ocean and disappeared.  

Hvaldimir evoked enough empathy that entrepreneur Adam Thorpe and filmmaker Regina Crosby formed the charity organization “One Whale,” dedicated to creating a whale sanctuary in Norway, a country where whaling is still legal. 

Hvaldimir was later spotted in the Bodø region in Norway, which happens to be where Hesten lives. No one knows why Hvaldimir led himself there, whether it was a coincidence or a journey to find his friend who had saved him. Hvaldimir has become an internet star, drawing tourists to the sea surrounding Norway to find him and say hello. This, though, has simply put Hvaldimir at risk. Boat propellers are one of his biggest threats. Hvaldimir’s fame both creates jeopardy and drives the move to protect him in a newly established whale sanctuary just for him.