Remember Little Grey and Little White, the two gorgeous beluga whales who were rescued by the SEA LIFE Trust and rehomed in a new sea sanctuary at Klettsvik Bay in Iceland?

Well, the pair had to wait a little to acclimatise to their new natural environment before they were released into the wider sanctuary, but they’ve now finally taken their first swim in their new open water home.

Carefully monitored by the whales’ expert care team, Little Grey and Little White were released for the first time to fully explore the natural surroundings of the wider sanctuary at Klettsvik Bay on Heimaey, one of the Westman Islands off the south coast of Iceland.

The whales have been making good progress since moving to their bayside care pools in August and Little Grey and Little White’s first swim out in the wider bay is part of a carefully managed welfare programme to help introduce the whales gradually into their much larger sanctuary home.

The poor whales had been held in captivity most of their lives before being rescued, having spent nearly a decade at an aquarium in China where they were trained to perform tricks to live audiences. Before that, they were held at a Russian research centre.

Thankfully the BFFs are now living their best lives out in Iceland, and led by their expert care team, the whales continue to be introduced to the bay (which is approximately 32,000 sqm with a depth of up to 10m, or the size of 17 tennis courts) and return to the sea sanctuary care pools over a short period of time while their health and well-being is assessed and monitored on a daily basis.

“We are introducing them gradually to the bay in little steps, but seeing them swim together and deep dive amongst the flora and fauna of the wider bay for the first time was amazing to witness and gave us a real sense that Little Grey and Little White are enjoying being back in the sea.”

Cathy Williamson, WDC’s End Captivity programme lead added: “We’re delighted that Little Grey and Little White are now exploring the wider bay and adapting well to their new, natural, stimulating environment.

“WDC has been on this journey with Merlin Entertainments and the SEA LIFE Trust from the beginning and we are truly honoured to be a partner to the world’s first whale sanctuary.

“As well as providing an exciting home for Little Grey and Little White, we look forward to welcoming other belugas here and encouraging the development of sanctuaries in other parts of the world.”

Williamson continues: “We hope this will mean that many of the more than 3,500 whales and dolphins held in captivity for shows and swim with attractions can be brought to sanctuaries to live more natural lives or be rehabilitated for a return to the wild.”

The Beluga Whale Sanctuary, operated by charity the SEA LIFE Trust, is the first of its kind and was built with the support of a generous donation from Merlin Entertainments.

If you’d like to know more, Little Grey and Little White’s amazing journey back to the ocean will be told as part of a new two-part feature length documentary to be shown on ITV this October over consecutive nights.

We’ll definitely tune into that one.

We’re so happy for the pair!

The SEA LIFE Trust has confirmed that two beluga whales have been safely rehomed in their new sea sanctuary after almost 10 years out of the ocean.

Little Grey and Little White have been in captivity for most of their lives, having spent nearly a decade at an aquarium in China, where they were trained to perform tricks to live audiences. Prior to that, they were held at a Russian research centre.

Now, the beautiful 12-year-old whales have been safely rehomed at Klettsvik Bay in Iceland.

In photographs of the transfer – which took place on Friday – the whales can be seen being transported into the water via a special sling – and they look over the moon about their new residence!

They will need a short period of time to acclimatise to their new natural environment before they are released into the wider sanctuary at Klettsvik Bay, but so far the pair are feeding well and seem to be making great progress.

They will now be assessed around the clock to make sure they’re settling in safely.

The beluga whales travelled 6,000 miles to their new home, including a 12-hour flight, after the SEA LIFE trust rescued them last year.

But the team made sure they had the safest journey possible. They were carefully transferred into the water in specially designed slings with custom foam matting for cushioning.

The whales were kept cool and damp using misters throughout and the care team were with them during the entire process.

After reaching the bay, the whales were released into their sea sanctuary care pools – this allows for monitoring and veterinary care during the acclimatisation period.

Andy Bool, Head of SEA LIFE Trust, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be able to share the news that Little Grey and Little White are safely in their sea sanctuary care pools and are just one step away from being released into their open water home.

“Following extensive planning and rehearsals, the first stage of their release back to the ocean was as smooth as we had hoped and planned for.

“We are carefully monitoring Little Grey and Little White with our expert care team and veterinarians and hope to announce their final release very soon.”

This is such brilliant news – we hope these beautiful whales have the happiest of futures.