SWIMMING WITH SHARKS

For Mark's birthday, my parents helped me get him a swim pass at the Georgia aquarium. He swam with whale sharks, zebra sharks, hammerheads, about 3 other kinds of sharks, rays with a wing span of 12 and 8 feets, and thousands of other fish. This all took place in a tank the size of a football field with 2 guides and 7 other swimmers, and the experience was incredible for him. He smiled the most genuine, heart-warming smile when we were reunited.








We got to watch much of the swim from a glass tunnel that goes through the tank. It was amazing for us too. We had prepared ourselves that after watching, I would have to take the kids somewhere for another couple hours until Mark was finished, because the aquarium was closed. When we got there and checked in, we were thrilled to find out that was not the case, and that instead, we could wander any part of the aquarium we wanted with three volunteer guides. So, we had a 4 to 3 adult to child ratio, they were all very patient and knowledgeable and helpful with the kids. We saw the tropical tank from below and then above, the whale shark tank from inside and above, the nursery where the baby animals are nurtured until their strong enough to be sent out to display, the process of filtering the water, keeping it warm and light-filled, and filling it with air via a wave machine. It was astounding what all we learned. Mark's birthday adventure turned out to be a gift for the whole family!











For those of you who have been to the Georgia aquarium, you know that it is quite an ethereal place. The dim lights and the slow, gentle movements of the animals could lull me to sleep. The crowds can be stressful, though. Imagine having the whole place to yourself. The quiet. The calm, The peaceful atmosphere. That's what we had, because we were there after hours, and we were allowed in places alone.

If you are here for a visit or live close by, I highly recommend this as a special event. It's expensive, but for us, it was so worth it. In hind sight, we realized how wonderful it would have been for the two of us to do it together, and arrange for someone to be with the kids, watching. As it was, though, it was truly a memorable event.

Many of you know, I'm sure, that Mark is quite scared of sharks. There's not many things he's scared of, but sharks is one of them. He discovered a new-found awe and respect for them as gentle giants rather than predators. It is quite a transformation. I don't think he's going to go swim in the wild with great white sharks anytime soon, but maybe he'll jump into the great lakes without being scared of sharks (I always have to give him a hard time about that, because he's scared of sharks whenever he can't see the bottom, even if it's in a lake!). And maybe. . . just maybe, he'll poke more than his toes into the ocean next time!