Want to dive Palau with perfect visibility and conditions and a guarantee of seeing thousands of animals but without the major travel expenses? You can do this and more without having to leave the states. For the first-time ever, general certified divers are now invited to dive into the Aquarium of the Pacific’s largest exhibit. Guests will have the opportunity to journey into the warm, 350,000-gallon Tropical Reef Habitat to meet more than 2,000 tropical animals, including an olive Ridley sea turtle, bonnethead and zebra sharks, cownose rays, a Queensland grouper, and much more.
In this two and a half hour experience, divers will also get a personal behind-the-scenes tour of the Aquarium’s dive program, including an inside look of what it takes to manage one of the largest aquariums in the United States. As part of their dive inside the Tropical Reef Habitat they will have full use of an underwater camera and will receive a certificate of completion, souvenir towel, and a data stick of their photos to take home. Before participating in the program, participants will be able to explore the Aquarium and meet over 11,000 animals, including sharks they can touch and colorful Australian birds they can feed. All equipment is provided.
The experience is for ages 15 years or older with ages 15 to 17 required to have an accompanying supervising adult. A current and valid diver certification and I.D. or driver’s license required. Each session is limited to four participants.
Diving starts June 1, 2010 from 3:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m., daily. Sherwood Scuba sponsors the diving program.
Located in Long Beach, CA, Aquarium of the Pacific is the fourth largest aquarium in the nation. It displays over 11,000 animals in more than 50 exhibits that represent the diversity of the Pacific Ocean. The Aquarium is open daily from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, call 562-590-3100 or visit www.aquariumofpacific.org.
