Russian Diver Interacts With Beluga Whale Near Popov Island

A diver ran into an unexpectedly gregarious beluga whale while swimming off Popov Island along Russia’s east coast on October 11. Koshovenko Danil, who recorded footage of the encounter and uploaded it to YouTube, told Storyful, “I was frightened by surprise.” Danil said the whale approached him, and “at first there were fears because I did not know what was on her mind.” Danil said, “Then, I held out my hand and waved to her. Maybe it acted as some kind of friendly sign as she seemed to happily swim closer. “It all lasted about 20 minutes. Then, I had already started to run out of air and had to rise,” Danil said. Credit: Koshovenko Danil via Storyful