Causing a splash: whale swims in Dubai Fountain in striking CGI video

The viral clip was created with a little technical magic

The animated sea creature can be seen splashing around near the base of Burj Khalifa. The Dubai Mall / Instagram

With malls across the UAE reopening this month, one visitor to The Dubai Mall appears to be having a whale of a time – quite literally.

An animated grey whale was spotted in The Dubai Fountain outside the Downtown shopping venue, thanks to the help of a little CGI trickery.

In a video created by developer Emaar, the marine mammal can be seen diving out of the attraction's water, before splashing back down.

"Wait, what?" the clip was captioned. "The Dubai Fountain at The Dubai Mall is always full of surprises."

Followers were quick to praise the video's graphics, although a few appeared to believe the whale was actually living in the fountain.

"In 2020 it's totally possible," joked one commenter, perhaps referring to the fact wildlife has been spotted in many urban environments as people stay at home.

The clip, posted on Sunday, May 17, has already garnered more than 170,000 views.

The Dubai Fountain is not home to any whales, but it does contain more than 6,600 lights to illuminate its water shows, as well as jets that can shoot up to 22,000 gallons of water into the air.

The attraction, which first opened in 2009, holds daily performances, choreographed to a number of musical tracks, kicking off every 30 minutes between 6pm and 11pm (with one show at lunchtime, too).

Guests visiting The Dubai Mall are required to wear face masks and gloves as part of ongoing safety procedures during the coronavirus pandemic.

Each store also has a notice informing shoppers of the maximum number of people allowed inside at any given time. As with other malls across Dubai, all entertainment venues, including cinemas, remain closed, as well as prayer rooms and fitness centres.