Whale saves drowning diver

Whale saves drowning diver A beluga whale saved a drowning diver by hoisting her to the surface, carrying her leg in its mouth. Terrified Yang Yun thought she was going to die when her legs were paralysed by crippling cramps in arctic temperatures.

She had been taking part in a free diving contest WITHOUT any breathing equipment. Competitors had to sink to the bottom of an aquarium's 20ft arctic pool and stay there for as long as possible amid the beluga whales at Polar Land in Harbin, north east China.

But when Yun, 26, tried to head to the surface she struggled to move her legs. Lucky Yun said: "I began to choke and sank even lower and I thought that was it for me - I was dead. Until I felt this incredible force under me driving me to the surface." Beluga whale Mila had spotted her difficulties and using her sensitive dolphin-like nose guided Yun safely to the surface. An organiser said: "Mila noticed the problem before we did. "We suddenly saw the girl being pushed to the top of the pool with her leg in Mila's mouth. "She's a sensitive animal who works closely with humans and I think this girl owes her, her life.