Last summer,
my 14-year-old son asked if we could do a dive in an aquarium such as the
Tennessee Aquarium or Georgia Aquarium for his birthday. My wife and I have
been fortunate that he prefers experiences over things when it comes to birthday
and Christmas requests. This was not that strange of a request for us since he
and I are both rated Master SCUBA Divers. However, I quickly learned that the
only aquarium in the Southeast that still allows SCUBA diving is the Georgia
Aquarium. Unfortunately, it is very costly for just one dive and is popular
enough that signing up involves a long waiting list.
We had pretty much given up on being
able to do an aquarium dive until a serendipitous introduction that occurred
during a dive trip off Anna Maria Island, Florida. My son had tagged along with me on
this trip while I was assisting our local dive shop with an open water
certification class. On the last day of the trip we had the adult son of two of
our students join us so that he could dive with his parents. During the
introductions, I learned that he was employed as a full-time diver with Disney World's Epcot
at the Seas with Nemo and Friends Pavilion.
 |
| The Seas Pavilion at Epcot. Photo Credit: Walt Disney World |
I told him about the difficulty in
finding an aquarium that still allows dive tours, and that I had even researched
their location. He informed me that they still allowed dive tours and conducted
at least two daily. He took the time to explain to me how to make the
reservations and I was surprised to learn that I could easily do it through the main Disney reservations phone
number by asking to book a Disney DiveQuest tour. The Epcot DiveQuest experience
allows SCUBA-certified guests to swim in the giant saltwater tank at the Seas
with Nemo & Friends Pavilion.
 |
| Viewing area inside The Seas at Epcot. Photo Credit: Walt Disney World |
When I called the number, it took less than five minutes to “buy the tickets,” and we were properly instructed on where to meet on the day of our dive along with what we were allowed to bring inside. I also learned that it is possible to book the dive without having a park admission ticket for Epcot. Since we were vacationing in Orlando soon, I made our reservations on the day my family would be visiting Epcot.
On the day of the dive, my son and I
separated from the rest of our family, so that we would have time to cross Epcot
to meet at the designated location. The sign-in process was quick and
effortless. We were asked about shoe size and whether my son would prefer a
full wet suit or a “Shorty” (one without sleeves and legs). Sorry, adults, they
only have shorties for the grown ups.
The small group was then led into
the “cast only” entrance to The Seas. We were given a tour of the “backstage”
area of the facility which included the dolphin exhibit and the manatees
exhibit. We were also shown the kitchen area where meals for the aquatic
wildlife were prepared. Then we were led to a briefing room and instructed on
where to go to change into our wetsuits and dive boots. The best part about
this dive was that we could not bring our own dive gear with us which helped us
with transportation and with not having to clean our gear afterwards. Personal
masks are allowed, but we opted to use ones belonging to Epcot.
We
were instructed to go into the
locker room and look for the locker with our name on it. Inside the
locker was
a wetsuit, dive boots, and a towel. I was surprised to learn that while
we were
signing in, a cast member who is very knowledgeable about fitting
wetsuits had covertly
sized us up and matched us to the proper size. The gear assigned to my
son and me fit perfectly; the DiveQuest personnel take great pride in
being able to do
this.
We were led to an area above the
main exhibit where our BCDs, masks, and fins were waiting for us by the edge of
the water. The staff gave us our safety briefing and instructed us on the
schedule for the 40-minute dive. We were told to follow our Divemaster for the
first ten minutes on an underwater tour. During this time, a professional
underwater photographer/videographer would be shooting videos and taking
photographs of us. Once the ten minutes were up, we were allowed complete
access to the underwater exhibit and were instructed to try to found our
families on the other side of the glass so that the videographer could shoot
footage of us with the dry members of our family.
This was one of my favorite moments
of the dive. I actually had to hunt for my family and the other family
travelling with us, but I found them after a couple of minutes. We were also
instructed to wave and be friendly to anyone else on the other side of the
glass since were now volunteer Cast Members for Disney. Interacting with those
inside the glass was exciting to me. Seeing the look of admiration on the face
of my 8-year-old son through the glass as he gazed at his big brother and me
was well worth the cost of this experience. Trust me, I will be duplicating
this experience for him when he is old enough to be SCUBA certified.
The exhibit itself is modeled after a Caribbean Coral Reef
inside the 5.7-million-gallon saltwater aquarium and contains over 6,000 sea
creatures. The underwater environment has excellent visibility and no currents so
you will have astounding views of sea turtles, angelfish, dolphins, rays, and
sharks. Yes, I said sharks. I have almost two hundred dives on my dive
log, but I had never had the opportunity to swim with a Hammerhead shark or a
Sandtiger shark until this dive. The type and number of sea creatures available
to interact with would have required over 20 dives in the ocean to match this
encounter with no guarantee of sighting any of the them.
I highly recommend
this dive experience for any certified diver.
You could make this your first dive after your open water certification,
but I recommend a little more experience so that you will be more comfortable
and able to fully enjoy your 40 minutes under water. It is well worth the
expense and can be added to your full park experience or planned as a separate
vacation experience. Their equipment is well maintained, and it is awesome to
have a dive trip with “concierge” dive equipment preparation. Dive gear can be
heavy, and this was the only dive I have been on where someone else took my gear
to the water’s edge for me.
Some information for
you if you heed my recommendation and want to dive the Seas with Nemo and
Friends:
- Friends or family members are not allowed behind the scenes for this tour. However, they can view your dive through any of the 56 giant acrylic windows at The Seas with Nemo & Friends! The best location for friends and family to view your dive is from the upstairs viewport in the tunnel of the Living Seas Pavilion, approximately one hour after your tour begins. Park admission is required for Guests wishing to view divers.
- All Guests must be SCUBA-certified and 10 years of age or older to participate. Guests 10 to 12 years of age must be accompanied by a paying adult (18 years of age or older). You will need to provide proof of certification, such as a C-card or verification from a certifying agency.
- All diving equipment is provided. Personal diving equipment is not permitted though you may bring your own dive mask. Please bring a swimsuit.
- No cameras, video equipment or cell phones may be used while backstage. Photography is allowed and encouraged in non-backstage areas.
- No jewelry of any kind other than a watch is allowed in the aquarium.
- Please check in at the Main Entrance of Epcot 15 minutes prior to the start of your experience. You will forfeit the entire price of your tour if you no-show or cancel within 2 days of your reservation.
Guest Blogger, Bryan Clanton, is a Georgia high school teacher who spent 14 years in local, state, and Federal law enforcement.
He holds the PADI Master SCUBA Diver rating and the Professional designation of PADI Divemaster. His son, Brandon holds dive certifications up to PADI Rescue Diver and also holds the PADI rating of Master SCUBA Diver.
No comments:
Post a Comment