On deck, Elena leaned over the rail. “Could he still be alive?” A crewman stared at her. “Inside that thing?” “Whales don’t normally eat people,” she replied. The captain finally raised the radio. “Coastguard, this is research vessel Horizon. We have a diver in serious trouble.”
The operator asked him to repeat the message. The captain swallowed. “Our diver was caught in the mouth of a whale. We cannot locate him at present.” There was silence on the radio. Then: “Confirm. You believe the diver is inside the animal’s mouth?” The captain looked at Elena. “Yes.”