Looking through the glass is cool but a one-on-one meeting with a beluga whale is truly amazing.
“Juno is 11 years old. He’s turning 12 in July, so that is a juvenile beluga. He is 12 feet long and 1,800 pounds, but he’s still growing,” says Kate McElroy, a trainer at Mystic Aquarium, which offers an in-tank Beluga Encounter program. “I feel so lucky that I get to do that with people. Their eyes light up – anyone from children to the elderly can come in to meet a whale. It might be something on their bucket list.”
Visitors can don waders and stand in a large pool, the home to New England’s only belugas.
“It’s about 50 degrees, which feels kind of nice on a summer day,” says McElroy.
She teaches folks about these magnificent mammals – their habitats and adaptations.
“He can spin through the water using those pectoral flippers,” says McElroy. “Juno has a nice suction ability. He’s going to suck a fish right out of the water, and that’s like his cousins in the Arctic. It’s a nice efficient way for them to feed.”
Guests can touch the whale’s head, body and tongue. At the end of the experience, they even get a kiss!
The entire Beluga Encounter – including orientation – lasts for about an hour and costs $165 for non-members, $155 for members. Participants must be at least 5 feet tall. For more information, click here to check out Mystic Aquarium’s website.
