Drowning diver saved by beluga whale

A beluga whale in a Chinese aquarium has rescued a drowning diver by pushing her out of the water. A spokesman for Harbin Polar Land in the country's north-east Heilongjiang province said the diver had been taking part in a competition at the aquarium when she began suffering sudden cramps in her legs.

Entrants were required to dive into the 6-metre-deep cool pool without any breathing equipment. The person who dives the deepest and stays down for the longest time wins the competition.

Yang Yun, an applicant from a local Chinese Medicine College, dived to a depth of 4 metres on her first trial. "Maybe I was too nervous, and my legs had sudden cramps," she explained. "I never dive into the water so deep and so cold. I was so nervous then.



"When I was choking with water and plummeting to the bottom, a sudden force pushed me out of the water," said Yang, who swam to the bank and was rescued by other competitors.

An activity organiser said the beluga, Mila, is very familiar with humans and she spotted the problem first. "We didn't notice the problem until we saw Mila holding the diver's leg with her mouth and pushing her out of the water," said the organiser.

Yang Yun thanked the audience and Mila by diving into the tank again after making a full recovery.