Nice! I really liked the animations in the menu and the in-game tutorial. I got to the level with the whirlpools, but I couldn't get past that one. I think one thing that would have really helped would be a map screen, or some way to view the whole level so you know what's ahead of you. I would end up in a whirlpool that was previously offscreen, and be completely unable to get out.
Nice job on the art and the music by the way! It fit the game really well.