Want to swim with a whale shark? Okay…you can.
The Georgia Aquarium is offering the opportunity to swim or SCUBA dive in their 6.3 million gallon Ocean Voyager tank with the whale sharks, zebra sharks, sawfish, leopard whiprays, bowmouth guitarfish, and more under the water creatures. No experience is needed for the swim program (except I imagine the ability to swim – that’d be a great site some orange arm floaties to attract fish attention), but certification is required to SCUBA dive.
Public registration opens today to swim or dive. Reservations start on July 1st and can be made online. Annual pass members get the first spots starting with reservations on June 8th- World Ocean Day. Members also receive a 10% discount. Online booking is not available for June reservations. Call 404-581-4000 for annual pass early bookings.
Cost for swimming with the Gentle Giants - $199.
Cost for SCUBA diving with the Gentle Giants - $290.
Cost for a whale shark rubbing elbows with you – priceless.
To make your reservation online or to read more about the program visit the Georgia Aquarium’s website.
Here’s some Wikipedia knowledge on the Whale Shark:
* The species is believed to origante over 60 million years ago.
* Species was first identified in 1828 in South Africa.
* Its mouth can contain between 300-250 rows of tiny teeth…I’m sorry did you say rows??
* Two small eyes are located towards the front of the shark’s wide, flat head.
* And something more relevant to this post…..This species, despite its enormous size, does not pose any significant danger to humans. It is a frequently cited example when educating the public about the popular misconceptions of all sharks as “man-eaters”. They are actually quite gentle and can be playful with divers. There are unconfirmed reports of sharks lying still, upside down on the surface to allow divers to scrape parasites and other organisms from their bellies. Divers and snorkellers can swim with this giant fish without any risk apart from unintentionally being struck by the shark’s large tail fin.
P.S. I love how they call this program swimming with the Gentle Giants. I mean it really seems like you’re swimming with teddy bears. Are sharks less angry because they are in captivity? I’ve seen Shark week. Here’s a helpful hint: When being attacked by a shark, poke them in the eye. It worked on Shark week.
For information on whale protection in their natural habitat, check this out.
February 28th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
I would love to swim with these whales… But isn’t that scary? I mean what if they suddenly get hungry and they find you enticing enough? Hehehehe
April 1st, 2008 at 7:04 pm
wow… this would be too cool. I want to swim with a shark so bad now! I think this will be added to one of my goals in life.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:45 am
I had no idea that the Georgia Aquarium was doing this. This is so neat! I’ve visited the aquarium a couple times and every time I wish that I could be one of the divers. This is a really cool opportunity!
May 12th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
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