SAN ANTONIO -- A killer whale performance at SeaWorld came to an abrupt end Friday when one of the giant marine mammals slammed his trainer underwater repeatedly.

No one was injured in the incident involving the killer whale, named Ky, and his trainer, Steve Aibel.

"It looked like Ky lost a little bit of focus," Aibel said in an exclusive interview with KSAT 12 News.

Aibel has trained with Ky for the past 10 years, and said he was caught off guard by Ky's behavior.

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"Seventeen years of training with animals and I've never had an experience like that," he said.

At first, it seemed like part of the show, but then Ky began diving right over Aibel. As soon as Aibel would come up for air, he was slammed back underwater.

Trainers rushed to the side of the tank, there was little they could do.

"I wasn't frightened," Aibel said. "I think that by being calm throughout the process -- that helped to calm (Ky) down."

Aibel went back to work with Ky Monday, and credited patience and training with helping to resolve the situation.

He wasn't sure what set Ky off, but said that the killer whale was near breeding age, which might be to blame for the erratic behavior.