Trainers Allowed Back in Water With Sea World’s Killer Whales

Killer whale trainers at Sea World were permitted to join the giant mammals in the water for public shows Friday for the first time in six months.

Park spokesman Dan LeBlanc said the decision to put the trainers back in the pool with the killer whales was made after a thorough evaluation of the training methods, safety procedures and the addition of more experienced trainers.

The trainers were taken out of the water during performances in November, shortly after a whale breached during a show and landed on a trainer who was riding another whale. In-water training sessions were halted the following month, when it was revealed that there had been 14 instances of injuries to trainers in the preceding eight months.

Under the new safety policy, only one trainer and whale will be permitted in the pool at a time. However, LeBlanc said the decision will be made on a “day-to-day, show-by-show” basis, depending on the whales’ temperament that day and the availability of experienced trainers.

“We’re not going to move too far, too fast. We’re going to be very careful,” LeBlanc said.

Sea World has four killer whales that the park uses in its water shows.