Well, the article says that EMS transported him to the hospital, so it would seem likely that he had something happen to him, or if he'd been completely uninjur

Well, the article says that EMS transported him to the hospital, so it would seem likely that he had something happen to him, or if he'd been completely uninjured it would have raised red-flags either on scene, or later at the hospital. Beyond that, whether or not the event unfolded exactly as he described or not is something that probably only he (and the whale) will ever really know.