But even Olympic diving prodigy Tom Daley may have felt like a fish out of water when he came up against his latest competitors.
The schoolboy was awestruck as he watched performing dolphins leap 20 feet from their pool during a visit to a US theme park as he prepared for a special guest slot in their remarkable show.
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While Tom, the second youngest British athlete to ever compete in an Olympics, was clearly excited to meet all the amazing animals, a sea lion called Claude played it cool and shut his eyes as he leaned on the youngster's head - then let out an ear-shattering bellow.
After the Beijing Olympics, Tom was invited to SeaWorld to take part in its spectacular Blue Horizons show, the stars of which include Atlantic bottled-nosed dolphins Starbucks and Orlando.
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Yesterday Tom, from Plymouth, Devon, described the experience of co-starring with the dolphins as 'amazing'.
He said: 'It's a fantastic show, combining athletic skills and animal power and the audience were brilliant.
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'Taking part in the Olympics was fantastic, but I was really looking forward to coming here and diving with the dolphins. It was a one off experience.
'How many people can say they went diving with dolphins? They are just so well trained and so agile. They are amazing.'
His performance was such a success he spent more than an hour after the show signing autographs for fans.
Tom finished seventh in the 10m synchronised diving final at the Olympics in August and won a silver at the world junior championships last month. He now hopes to win a gold medal at the 2012 London Games.
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Mr Daley said: 'This is a great treat for Tom after all the work he has put in during the last year. He really has been looking forward to diving with the dolphins.
'It is a bit different to the competitions he is used to, but a lot of fun. He really is enjoying himself
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Blue Horizons is billed as a dolphin theatrical performance about the place where the sea meets the sky and also features exotic birds including maccaws and condors soaring above the audience, divers, aerial performers and an original musical score by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
The set was designed by Stanley Meyer, best known for his work designing the critically acclaimed Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast.
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