Becoming One with the Aquarium
Swim with the fishes without going to sea
Imagine that you are floating past a nurse shark, tarpon, cobia and snook. It may seem like you are in the Dry Tortugas on a snorkeling expedition, but you actually haven’t even left dry land. Rather, you are in the 33,500-gallon aquarium at RumFish Grill within the Guy Harvey Outpost resort, enjoying its Swim with the Fishes program.
Now imagine yourself diving with a tiger shark or swimming near a moray eel, barracuda and green sea turtle. No, you are not deep in the Caribbean Sea heading into a blue hole, but at the Florida Aquarium immersed in its massive 500,000-gallon habitat, taking part in the Dive with the Sharks program.
From snorkelers who love to skim the surface (ages 6 and up at Florida Aquarium; ages 8 and up at RumFish Grill) t o certified divers (ages 15 and older) who love the deep, RumFish Grill and the Florida Aquarium both offer opportunities to snorkel, swim and dive with marine animals.
RUMFISH GRILL
The RumFish Grill tank is located within the restaurant at the Guy Harvey Outpost, a TradeWinds Beach Resort on St. Pete Beach. Guy Harvey is a marine and wildlife artist, scientist, diver, angler, explorer and conservationist. Because he is a
strong advocate for marine conservation, the Swim with the Fishes snorkeling program was created not only to entertain, but also to educate.
The tank used in the Swim with the Fishes program was provided by Animal Planet’s hit television show, Tanked. It contains 31 species of fish, all indigenous to the Gulf of Mexico, including the nurse shark, green moray eel, tarpon, amberjack, cobia and snook.
“We offer a 45-minute tour before the 10-minute swim,” explains Sophie Bajack, the Outpost’s eco guest service manager. During the tour, participants learn about the marine life that resides in the tank and about the tank itself— how it is cleaned and cared for. The tour broadly covers the Gulf of Mexico and addresses the problem of invasive species, such as lionfish. Finally, participants learn about Guy Harvey and his many efforts to raise awareness about the environmental concerns of the world’s oceans.
Even those who choose not to swim in the tank can enjoy the program by taking the tour and then watching the curious snorkelers through viewing stations around the tank.
FLORIDA AQUARIUM
Just one visit to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa will demonstrate why TripAdvisor ranked it among the top 10 such facilities in the country and why Parents Magazine named it one of the top five kid-friendly aquariums. In addition to featuring 500,000 gallons of natural water filled with a variety of marine life, a 4-D theater, splash pad, tours and adventures, the aquarium offers three opportunities for visitors to get up close and personal with the
marine life: Swim with the Fishes, a snorkeling adventure for those who are 6 years and older; Shark Swim, a snorkeling experience for those 9 years and older; and Dive with the Sharks, a diving opportunity for certified divers who are 15 years and older. Each program is 90 minutes long.
“We offer swimming and diving experiences available for almost any age and skill level, because we really want anyone to be able to come here and immerse themselves in these incredible experiences,” says Kaitlyn Fusco, communications manager at the Florida Aquarium. The experiences are offered for a variety of reasons: for swimmers and divers to have a great time, to learn something, and to inspire them to become better stewards of the natural environment.
The Florida Aquarium is known not only for these experiences, but also for its conservation work involving many of the animals that visitors can swim and dive with, including sharks, sea turtles and corals. “When you visit the Florida Aquarium, not only will you have a fun day, you’ll also help support our conservation efforts,” adds Fusco.