Having a whale of a time in a heat wave

A beluga whale sprays water towards visitors at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama, July 20, 2015. [Photo/IC]

The young crowd at an amusement park in suburban Tokyo found a novel way of cooling down as summer temperatures soared.

As thermometers reached 34 degrees Celsius on the first day after the rainy season in Japan a playful beluga whale rose out of a pool and sprayed them with water.

Children among the crowd were left wincing after it blasted them as though it were a water hose, while others could be seen scrambling in a desperate bid to escape the drenching.

The beluga is a favorite attraction at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama, south of the capital Tokyo.

Situated in the port of Yokohama Bay, the relatively new site has fast become one of the country's premier attractions thanks to the cheeky marine mammal.

The whale cools crowd by spraying them water, July 20, 2015. [Photo/IC]