“The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist. For man it is to know that and to wonder at it.”
Jacques Yves Cousteau
I’ve never written a blog post before. To be honest, I’m not sure that I’ve ever read a blog post before. What a realization to have as I sit down and give this a shot. For my very first blog post on my very first blog, let’s talk about my experience at the Georgia Aquarium scuba diving with Whale Sharks and Manta Rays.
To start, I have been apprehensive of zoos and aquariums for the majority of my adult life. I love nature. I love animals. I love our planet. Humans are killing all of these things that I love. Wild animals are not for our entertainment. Wild animals shouldn’t be in captivity. Wild animals shouldn’t be in a cage or tank.. Zoos and aquariums do all of these things.
When I was presented with the option to dive the Ocean Voyager exhibit at the Georgia Aquarium I was excited but also uneasy with the idea. Let me elaborate. Diving is a passion (you can read about it here). I love seeing a part of this planet that the majority of people never will. Being under the water is my happy place. I’m calm. My head isn’t running a million miles an hour. I’m not second guessing myself. I’m not replaying conversations or situations in my head. When I’m underwater, I’m at peace. My time under water is always improved by observing my surroundings, especially if that observation includes an animal I’ve never seen before.
Excited. Go to the Georgia Aquarium, dive in a tank that is the size of an American football field, over 6.3 million gallons of saltwater, dive with manta rays and whale sharks. One thing you need to know about diving, there is never a guarantee of what you’ll see. Diving the Georgia Aquarium would GUARANTEE that I would see manta rays and whale sharks! All of this in a weekend. I don’t have to take PTO. I don’t have to pay for a flight. I don’t have to pay for a dive boat. I don’t have to pay for air fills. This is an incredibly affordable way to guarantee I’ll see manta rays and whale sharks on a dive!
Uneasy. Wild animals are not for human entertainment. Wild animals should not be in cages or tanks. Wild animals shouldn’t be in captivity. By diving Ocean Voyager at the Georgia Aquarium aren’t I supporting an institution that does all of these things that I’m against?
Ultimately, I decided to dive. Why?
- Georgia Aquarium is a Class R research facility. This falls as under the Animal Welfare Act. With this designation the Georgia Aquarium is able conduct research in addition to regular care.
- Georgia Aquarium works with the Specials Survival Commission of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and is a Center for Species Survival.
- Georgia Aquarium holds accreditations from:
- Association of Zoos and Aquariums
- The Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums
- International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association
- American Humane
You can learn more about the aquarium and their research and conservation efforts here.
Alright. I’m diving. Let’s talk about the aquarium.
When we walked into the atrium of the aquarium, I looked to my left and the very first thing I saw was SHARKS! Predators of the Deep. Sharks? Sign me up! I could have sat in that gallery watching the bait ball and sharks for hours and hours. My first great hammerhead shark. My first tiger shark. My first sand shark. Incredible! We don’t deserve sharks.The only thing that could have made this exhibit better would have been removing 80% of the people that were crammed in there. (It can get crowded on the weekends which can make waiting for views take some time. Going during the week may alleviate this.
We made our way around the Aquarium and I was completely enamored. I honestly couldn’t tell you the last time I learned about so many new sea creatures and let’s be completely truthful here: the animals are just fun.
Let’s talk about the main event: Ocean Voyager and the dive. The Ocean Voyager exhibit is I wish I could describe the way I felt at my first sight of the whale sharks and manta rays. It is one of those moments in my life that I will never forget. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world and are believed to be the largest known fish. Manta Rays have up to an 18 foot wingspan. I don’t think you can really comprehend how massive these gentle giants are until you see them.
This dive was one of the coolest and most overwhelming dives I’ve ever done. It was surreal that animals that I usually get incredibly excited to see on a dive, like a reef shark, were the least exciting part of the dive. There were so many animals that I had never seen before and there was so little time! Normally if there is an animal I want to observe, I take my time and observe for as long as I’m able. I didn’t have that opportunity here. I would have loved to have just sat on the bottom of the tank, with my back to the wall, and just observed. There was so much to see swimming around me, it was hard to figure out where to look.
Overall, the dive was amazing. Seeing the whale sharks and manta rays was definitely the coolest part of the dive. However, I have some other highlights too.
- We were diving over the tunnel and Kyle was in front of me. The longcomb sawfish came up behind Kyle and was about a foot from him. I grabbed Kyle’s fin and pointed to the sawfish. It startled him quite a bit and it was fantastic to watch.
- Bowmouth guitarfish. These are critically endangered animals and are incredibly rare to see. It was a gorgeous animal and very cool to see.
- The largest stingray that I have ever seen. This thing was massive! OK, not as big as the manta rays but still very large! This particular stingray weighed over 600 lbs!
- Tank. Tank is a very large green sea turtle and was just magnificent.
- Variety. The variety of animals in this tank was outstanding. There are over 50 species living in that exhibit. Did I mention that it was mildly overwhelming?
Once our dive was done, we chatted with the staff for a while about the conservation efforts the Georgia Aquarium is involved with and how the money made from the dive and videos of the dive goes towards those conservation efforts. You can watch the video of our dive above.
What really sold me on the Georgia Aquarium is when I got home and started watching The Aquarium (2018). This is a ‘reality’ TV show from Animal Planet that gives viewers a behind the scenes look at day to day operations of the Georgia Aquarium. You can find it streaming on Discovery+. I realize that reality TV isn’t actually reality. There is a lot of editing, putting our best foot forward, etc. The skeptic in me does wonder if it’s all just for TV. Ultimately, I decided it isn’t. Here’s why: my research into the Georgia Aquarium, the conversations I had with multiple employees, the observations I was able to make, and the TV show. When I combine all of these factors, I have to believe that the Georgia Aquarium is a solid institution that is doing good work.
Overall Adventure Review:
I would recommend a visit to the Georgia Aquarium for anyone! It was a beautiful aquarium with a huge variety of species. This is a real opportunity to connect real people with the real marine life on our planet. I highly recommend diving the tank at Ocean Voyager. If you don’t know how to dive, let me know. Kyle and I are both Scuba Diving instructors. We can help make that dream come true. Then we’ll go dive Ocean Voyager together and scuba dive with whale sharks and manta rays.
