4-year-old boy swims with beluga whale

Ally · 10-29-2007, 08:47 PM

Quote:

The 4-year-old boy took a breath, ducked underwater and planted a kiss on the huge whale beside him. A trainer then lifted Huang Yan onto the back of the beluga whale, which is about 30 times his size, and the little boy sat astride the animal's back as it glided smoothly just under the surface of the water.

http://www.scubaherald.com/news/124/...007-10-27.html

The photo in this article is quite enchanting

**dalehall** · 10-30-2007, 12:47 AM

Awesome!! The wife is giving me the "Trainer for a Day" at Sea World for Father's Day.. That's my way of getting close to the Beluga whales.. That's going to be so cool.

Ally · 10-30-2007, 05:21 AM

Dale that sounds wonderful, I hope you get some photos for us to see

Scuba Mama · 10-30-2007, 03:06 PM

Dale, I have to warn you so your ready. I have a buddy at the Chicago Shed who took my husband and I on the behind the scenes tour. It was very cool. Our last stop was the whale holding area. Beluga have a very fun spirit and like to play. We were warned not to get to close when the baby kept knocking out the ball for us to throw back. Here's the warning, if you get to close the will blow water through the blow holes all over you. If smells like dead fish, yuck. Yes, he tried to blow water on us. My buddy said he learned this while tossing the ball back, he got to close, and all over his pants just before a meeting. He said he stunk all day. Whale are also good learners and will mimic sounds, careful not repeat a sound. Have fun getting close, I loved it.

**dalehall** · 10-30-2007, 05:26 PM

LOL!!! That's great Scuba Mama!! When we go, I have nothing to do but that all day and to go home smelling like that would be an honor. If it happens, at least I got close to enough to one for it to happen. I'm ok with that..

Ally · 10-30-2007, 05:28 PM

Actually what Mama said has reminded me of one of the cruises I took in 2005. I went around Cape Horn and there were several pods of pilot whales that came quite close to the ship. That was an experience in itself, but if you happened to be downwind of them.....phew...it was strong