Shark dive experience canned by aquarium
An Auckland aquarium is no longer offering customers the chance to dive with sharks due to bad lighting.
Sea Life Kelly Tarlton’s, which was created in 1985 inside disused sewage tanks beneath Tamaki Drive in Orakei, has closed down its shark dive experience but people can still snorkel.
Those who took part in the experience - dubbed ‘‘The Shark Dive Xtreme’’ - were able to scuba dive in a tank filled with 23 sharks including sand tiger sharks, stingrays and New Zealand fish.
The cancellation of the experience at the end of November resulted in the aquarium having to refund more than 100 people, with at least one patron not being refunded the almost $400 they were owed until December 27.
Sea Life Kelly Tarlton’s general manager Daniel Henderson said staff didn’t feel the lighting delivered the best guest experience for diving so it was removed.
‘‘We are always looking for ways to improve our guests’ experiences and given the age and unique nature of the building, the lighting conditions offered weren’t ideal for deep diving,’’ Henderson said.
Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life offered the shark dive since 2012, before that its previous owners operated a similar ‘‘shark survival experience’’ which was launched in 2005.
The aquarium estimated more than 3000 guests took the plunge since 2012, Henderson said.
The shark tank was used as a tool to protest the finning of sharks in New Zealand waters by Green MP Gareth Hughes and Seaweek national coordinator Mels Barton in 2011.
Barton said it was a shame to no longer be able to dive, because the experience helped demystify sharks and made them less of a creature to be feared and more one to be fascinated by.
‘‘Being close to a shark makes you realise they are not interested in you as prey but as another marine creature and you appreciate how well adapted to their environment they are,’’ Barton said.
‘‘Far more sharks die from people killing them every year than there are people attacked by sharks.
‘‘We need to revere and protect them and recognise their essential role in the ocean ecosystem upon which we all depend.’’