Diving in to dance with the whales: Meeting Belugas is a white laugh… if you don’t mind swimming under an ice sheet

Friendly handshake: A curious Beluga chews on a diver’s glove

It looks like they’re having a whale of a time – but you may want to think twice before pulling on your cossie to join these brave divers.


They had to saw a hole in the ice before plunging into freezing cold water for their exciting ocean encounter.
And instead of using oxygen masks, they simply held their breath as they swam with the Beluga whales.

Hole lot of fun: A diver greets the whales after sawing through ice

The playful mammals appear much friendlier than fictional white whale Moby Dick.
But going in search of them is almost as risky as shipping out with Captain Ahab.

The team back on the surface

‘It was cold water with sub-zero temperatures, and then there is that impossibility of getting out anywhere,’ said Ukrainian photographer Andrey Nekrasov, who took these pictures.

‘There is an armour of ice over the diver’s head. So ice diving is quite a troublesome activity. But it all pays off because you see the beauty that you will see nowhere else.’

The freedivers entered the Arctic Circle to swim in Russia’s Northern Karelia White Sea. They were tied to a rope to help them get out after meeting the Belugas, which are also known as sea canaries because of the high-pitched sounds they make.