A Fishy Tale

A friend alerted me to a news story about a National Geographic cameraman that was unexpectedly swallowed by an Ocean Sunfish. For those who don't know, an Ocean Sunfish is something that resembles a whale that was hit by a cruise ship. It is massive but rather flat. Just to give you an idea....

Now the story goes that the unfortunate diver was filming pygmy sperm whales (because that is what one does in your spare time) when the massive sunfish swam up and swallowed him in one gulp before continuing on to wherever sunfish go for after-dinner drinks. The other divers could only watch as the massive fish swam peacefully away.

My friend and I had a long discussion about the digestive capabilities of the sunfish. Seeing as it swallowed the diver whole, what would happen once the diver's oxygen tank encountered the digestive tract? Would the fish explode in a massive cloud of blood, scales and half digested diver, or would it get a rather confused look on its face before rocketing away like a deflating balloon?

And what was going through the cameraman's head as he was swallowed up? Was he wondering if he packed a diving knife? Maybe he was pondering the rarity of being swallowed up by something that looks like a squashed whale? Or maybe he was thinking that he should have rather stayed in bed that morning. Thankfully the man in question can still be asked about the thoughts that flashed through his mind, as he is still very much alive and uneaten. It turns out the story was a hoax, but one that went viral. Ah, the joys of the internet!

For those who want to read the factual article about the diver's encounter with the sunfish, you can find it here.