San Diego

A killer whale momentarily pinned a trainer against a poolside wall during a show at Sea World’s Shamu Stadium Sunday afternoon but did not injure him.

The whale, Kandu, held trainer Mark Beeler against the wall for a few seconds with its “rostrum”(snout), releasing him when it was called back to a stage area by another trainer, said Sea World spokesman George Stalle.

The incident occurred before a near-capacity audience in the stadium, which holds about 3,000 people.

Beeler, who has been a trainer at Sea World for about a year, was unhurt and scheduled to participate in shows later Sunday afternoon, Stalle said.

Stalle said that killer whales--which weigh between 3,500 and 5,000 pounds--occasionally pin new trainers to test their reaction to the situation. Typically, such an occurrence will take place when a trainer and whale are unfamiliar with each other, he said.