Freediving in Russia with Julia Petrik with whales

[Dan Burton]

I have just come back from Russia, and spent 5 days with Julia freediving under the white sea ice, and swimming with whales.
Have a look at my website to see some pics.
www.freedivingimages.co.uk~ freediving images,freediving video,freediving legions,freediving,breath
I was out there to film the whale, freediving with Julia and ice diving. The program will be on the box next week on BBC. Watch out on net at:
BBC - Inside Out - South West
To see some ice pix.
Dan Burton Photography Archive

[ILDiver]

Awesome dives man, very nice pics and a GREAT experience I'm sure!

[Stephan Whelan]

Nice on Dan.

Those in the UK look out in the nationals on Thursday as pics should be in there!

[Manuel]

Awsome pics!! Thanks for posting...


Manuel

[Dan Burton]

Thanks for the comments.
They will be in the national today. so look out.

Or go to here.
The real whale rider: Russian free diver hitches a ride with a Beluga whale | the Daily Mail

Or check out the telegraph.. and more.

[samdive]

wow - my mum just emailed me a link to the pictures! for my mum to show in interest in freediving means you've really capture imaginations Dan so Well Done!

the images are STUNNING.

How did Hannah get on? has she defrosted yet?

[Dan Burton]

got myself a nice new elios 7mm.
warm as toast.
doing an hr in the water. had too wear 10kgs on!

[Kaspermoth]

super cool pictures, must have been a great experience, so where were the wales excactly, under the ice?

[Dan Burton]

under the ice and through a ice hole.
did some scuba out there there, but decided no tanx for the whales.
Hope to go there next year again.. what a great place.. The Russians are warm welcoming people.
The program will be on BBC next week, and on the net.

[Dan Burton]

I have been watching the comments on the papers website.
Some people slagging us off swimming with the whales. If the whale didn't want to go near us there would have gone away.
What are you thoughts?

[Kaspermoth]

I am sure that the whales could just stay away if they didn't want to play with you. They are intelligent and curious creatures and want to have fun as well.

When you "rode" the whales under the ice - wasn't it easy to get away from your breathing hole? I guess not - since you are still here to reply...

[BennyB]

Only unemployed smelly sociopaths write comments on newspaper websites

As long as it's not intrusive then it's fantastic, I wonder how many people actually know those sorts of whales even exist?

[Kaspermoth]

who writes comments on deeperblue then?? ;-)

[BennyB]

Er, um.... well i'm not smelly

[samdive]

I know that there was some controversy about swimming with belugas when we were in Vancouver for the worlds. There was a lucky draw to win the chance to dive with the belugas in the Vancouver Aquarium. Tanya Streeter was very vocal in asking people not to take up the opportunity if they won in protest at this. Dave King from the UK won and went ahead with it. I don't think he felt it was intruding or stressing the whale.

I'm not sure about it in captivity - but surely in the wild, as you say, the whale could just swim off if it didn't like it?

maybe dave will contribute his thoughts (when he gets back from beering it up in prague)