She thought the whale would kill her — but it was actually saving her from a giant tiger shark

If we told you a giant whale saved a woman from a humongous tiger shark, would you believe it? But Nan Hauser, a marine biologist and whale researcher, has an incredible story to tell. Well, in 2017, Hauser was filming in the Cook Islands when she stepped into the water as the director wanted some underwater footage. However, things went for a toss when one whale, in particular, charged towards her. For a moment, Hauser thought she would be killed by the whale, but little did she know then that the massive creature was actually saving her from a shark. The brave woman shared about her incredible underwater encounter with BBC Earth (@bbcearth) on their official YouTube channel.

"I kept trying to get away. He was trying to be gentle, but when he tried to tuck me under his pectoral fin, it really hurt," Hauser shared, explaining how the enormous whale kept pushing her underwater. At one point, she explained that the whale lifted her out of the water for a few seconds before she again dropped underwater. With every passing moment, the whale was getting frustrated, as if tired of explaining that there was some unforeseen danger that could possibly harm Hauser. "I am thinking in the back of my mind, wait, didn't my grandmother, when she was 102, say, 'Please, don't ever be swallowed by a whale'?" she shared. Although Hauser was scared for her life, she knew that the whale was trying too hard to convey something.

When she looked around, she noticed a huge creature swimming rapidly towards her. At first, Hauser thought it was another whale, but then, watching its tail movement, she immediately understood that it was a deadly shark approaching her. "I have spent my entire life underwater, and I have seen plenty of tiger sharks. This was like a truck. This was a huge tiger shark, and it was coming right for me," Hauser revealed. Fortunately, the woman had the whale who wanted to save her. In the blink of an eye, the whale put Hauser on his head and pushed her to the back of the boat. "I caught a ride on a whale for ten and a half minutes. I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined that this would happen," she said. But wait, the story didn't end there.

In a heartwarming turn of events, Hauser met the same gigantic whale who had once saved her from the shark. "I never thought in a million years that I would see this particular individual again. And so, when he did come back, I was blown away; I still am," she revealed. More than a year after the incident, Hauser was fully engrossed in her research when a fisherman informed her about a whale. Soon after, when the woman reached up to the harbor, she saw the whale and was surprised to see the striking familiarity. And the next thing Hauser knew was the whale coming near the boat and staring at her directly as if asking her if she recognized him. "I started to cry. I was so blown away that he was actually there," Hauser added. 

Meanwhile, @demonetizedhistory5806 commented, "The fact she saw him twice and the second time he looked at her and played with her is honestly AMAZING!" Similarly, @matthewzeller5026 wrote, "Crazy how much compassion they can still have for humans after centuries of being hunted to near extinction by us. Truly the gentle giants of the sea." 

Similarly, @01splitpea said, "I cried as she told of her experience. How can whales still be kind to humans when we've hunted them to the brink of extinction and still do? I am crying still." @joobaacaa said, "There was definitely a connection. It might be altruistic at first, but later he greeted her quite lovingly; I envy her experience."

You can follow BBC Earth (@bbcearth) on YouTube for more animal-related stories.