This Missouri Aquarium Will Let You Swim With Actual Sharks
One Missouri aquarium offers an experience that you would typically only get in the ocean...and it's not for the faint of heart.
Here in the Midwest, we don't have any ocean we can drive to at any time. However, we do have several aquariums that you can visit to see marine life that is found in the ocean. When it comes to marine life, there is no bigger phenomenon than sharks. Tiger sharks, whale sharks, great white sharks, and more are all fascinating creatures that leave everyone fascinated. Heck, we have a whole week dedicated to all things sharks on Discovery Channel each year. While you might think that you can only get up close with these creatures in the ocean, one aquarium in Missouri is offering an experience that you might not have expected to see in the region.
Swim With Sharks At This Missouri Aquarium
Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium is the home to a 1.5-million-gallon aquarium that features 35,000 live fish, mammals, reptiles, and birds, and "immersive wildlife galleries that bring visitors eye-to-eye with the greatest collection of record-setting game animals ever assembled," according to their Facebook. They have several exhibits that guests can visit in amazement but one stands out among the others because it will allow you to come face to face with sharks underwater.
Their Out to Sea Shark Dive takes you underwater inside a metal cage to come face-to-fin with sand tiger sharks, brown sharks, and Atlantic goliath groupers. Now, I don't know about you but this is kind of a bucket list thing for me. It would be a true test to see how brave you really are with larger-than-life sharks swimming around you so close that you could probably reach out and touch them.
What To Expect On Your Out To Sea Shark Dive Experience
Unlike most shark dives, you don't need a diver certification with this immersive experience. The Out to Sea Shark Dive is open for people ages 10 and over, however children ages 10-14 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. The experience will last 1.5 hours. You will spend 15-20 minutes in the water. You'll want to make sure that you bring a bathing suit, personal toiletry items to shower after your dive, a waterproof bag, and non-slip footwear along with you for the dive.
Those who would love to take part in this underwater shark dive will receive:
- Towels, wetsuits, and dive helmets
- Secured lockers to store your personal belongings
- Commemorative t-shirt
- Underwater camera to take photos during your experience
- One 6″x8″ printed photo and souvenir flash drive with additional photos
You can learn more about this experience and purchase your tickets by clicking here, and you can take a look at what you might see in the gallery below: