I don't have an answer, but HODL probably isn't a great strategy, not just for dealing with whales, but in general. The question is - can you imagine a maximum conceivable price for Bitcoin? If you can (if we are assuming that the price can't fundamentally go up forever), then eventually a HODL strategy will invariably screw you. The next question would be, can you imagine when this conceivably high price might come? Obviously no one can. I mean, for all we know, it might have already happened. The point is, HODL needs to be couched with careful analysis.