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Arctic Belugas Tamed By Naked Swimming Russian Scientist

Nude Swimmer Is The Whale Whisperer
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Call her Natalia. Her story is like Ishmael's in "Moby Dick," but with more nudity and fewer harpoons and peg legs.

Natalia Avseenko, a Russian scientist, allegedly stripped naked and swam with two white whales in the Arctic to tame them before they were sent to an aquarium.

Her frigid tale was reported in the Daily Mail , which said she survives the dangerously cold waters through meditation and her background in yoga.

It's necessary for her to bathe au naturale, because marine biologists believe the beluga whales do not like to be touched by artificial materials, the Mail reported.

The aquatic ballet took place in the Murmansk Oblast of the White Sea off the coast of Russia, the British tabloid said.

With sub-freezing temperatures at -1.5 Celsius or 29.5 Fahrenheit, the Daily Mail claimed that Avseenko held her breath underwater for more than 10 minutes.

Yet the newspaper didn't report what she did during the icy encounter to domesticate the mammals for their future lives in captivity.

Naked Female Scientist Swims With Whales
Naked Female Scientist Swims With Whales(01 of04)
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Natalia Avseenko swims with beluga whales in the White Sea off the coast of northern Russia.A skinny dipping Russian researcher took a ten meter sub-zero plunge in a bid to get up close and personal with two beautiful 15 foot long beluga whales. Scientists believe that the whales could be more friendly with humans if they swim naked - but as these pictures show the clever-looking marine mammals called Matrena and Nilma seem happy to swim with the same lady whether bears all or not. Champion free diver, Natalia Avseenko, 36, from Moscow gamely jumped into an ice hole in the White Sea off the coast of northern Russia. She was able to hold her breath and swim underwater for an incredible 11 minutes. The pictures show her swimming in the minus one degree Centigrade waters - cold enough to kill a normal person in 15 minutes. Beluga whales generally shy away from conventional scuba divers because they dislike the bubbles they produce. It is thought the synthetic materials used to make wet suits smell bad to them. (credit:Viktor Lyagushkin, Barcroft/Fame Pictures)
Naked Female Scientist Swims With Whales(02 of04)
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Natalia Avseenko prepares to get into the water naked to swim with two beluga whales in the White Sea off the coast of northern Russia.A skinny dipping Russian researcher took a ten meter sub-zero plunge in a bid to get up close and personal with two beautiful 15 foot long beluga whales. Scientists believe that the whales could be more friendly with humans if they swim naked - but as these pictures show the clever-looking marine mammals called Matrena and Nilma seem happy to swim with the same lady whether bears all or not. Champion free diver, Natalia Avseenko, 36, from Moscow gamely jumped into an ice hole in the White Sea off the coast of northern Russia. She was able to hold her breath and swim underwater for an incredible 11 minutes. The pictures show her swimming in the minus one degree Centigrade waters - cold enough to kill a normal person in 15 minutes. Beluga whales generally shy away from conventional scuba divers because they dislike the bubbles they produce. It is thought the synthetic materials used to make wet suits smell bad to them. (credit:Viktor Lyagushkin, Barcroft/Fame Pictures)
Naked Female Scientist Swims With Whales(03 of04)
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Natalia Avseenko swims with beluga whales while naked in the White Sea off the coast of northern Russia.A skinny dipping Russian researcher took a ten meter sub-zero plunge in a bid to get up close and personal with two beautiful 15 foot long beluga whales. Scientists believe that the whales could be more friendly with humans if they swim naked - but as these pictures show the clever-looking marine mammals called Matrena and Nilma seem happy to swim with the same lady whether bears all or not. Champion free diver, Natalia Avseenko, 36, from Moscow gamely jumped into an ice hole in the White Sea off the coast of northern Russia. She was able to hold her breath and swim underwater for an incredible 11 minutes. The pictures show her swimming in the minus one degree Centigrade waters - cold enough to kill a normal person in 15 minutes. Beluga whales generally shy away from conventional scuba divers because they dislike the bubbles they produce. It is thought the synthetic materials used to make wet suits smell bad to them. (credit:Viktor Lyagushkin, Barcroft/Fame Pictures)
Naked Female Scientist Swims With Whales(04 of04)
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Natalia Avseenko swims with beluga whales wearing a wet suit in the White Sea off the coast of northern Russia.A skinny dipping Russian researcher took a ten meter sub-zero plunge in a bid to get up close and personal with two beautiful 15 foot long beluga whales. Scientists believe that the whales could be more friendly with humans if they swim naked - but as these pictures show the clever-looking marine mammals called Matrena and Nilma seem happy to swim with the same lady whether bears all or not. Champion free diver, Natalia Avseenko, 36, from Moscow gamely jumped into an ice hole in the White Sea off the coast of northern Russia. She was able to hold her breath and swim underwater for an incredible 11 minutes. The pictures show her swimming in the minus one degree Centigrade waters - cold enough to kill a normal person in 15 minutes. Beluga whales generally shy away from conventional scuba divers because they dislike the bubbles they produce. It is thought the synthetic materials used to make wet suits smell bad to them. (credit:Viktor Lyagushkin, Barcroft/Fame Pictures)

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