Well yes, humpback whales reach sexual maturity by around 10 years of age (some much before then it seems). A marine biologist is still practically in it's larval form at that point.
(Yes, yes, I know that wasn't what you meant, but I couldn't help myself)
It's like Wyle E Coyote finally gets an ACME rocket that's fast enough to catch the road runner, only to go zooming by the roadrunner on an upward trajectory headed for the moon.