Diving the Mall of America! (MOA)

[Chadwick]

I think I told it to kiss my butt, I didn't think it would take me literally.
LOL. You may call it friends, but in some countries, I think it means we are married.

[Mark Y]

How did the guides keep the sharks at bay? And how many guides where in the tank?

Sounds like you folks had a good time! Thanks for the posts - look forward to the pix.

[Chadwick]

There were three guides in the shark tank with us.
They had shark sticks which were little more then a 5 foot length of 1" PVC with black tape every 6 inches. They held them out in front of the sharks and waved them around in front of the sharks if they got too close. Apparently sharks have very poor eyesight, and the movement and contrasting colors catch their attention.
They did ocassionally rap a shark on the nose to get its attention. I've read sharks noses are very sensitive.
How they kept them away? They pretty much always kept on the shark side of us as we moved from station to station. Then they formed a half circle in front of us and kept sharks from getting past them into our zone.
It was very impressive to watch them in action, especially at station #2 where the middle guard was very busy and kept zipping back and forth to keep em out. hehe. I stopped and just sat there and watched them at work for a few minutes. It was very cool.
Oh, I forgot to mention, my favorite part of both dives was interacting with the kids in the tunnels watching us. Sticking out your tongue at them and making faces, even taking pictures of them. I hope those turn out, Jean. hehe. The look of excitement in their eyes is priceless.

[willadams67]

It sounds like you guys had alot of fun. I wish I had the extra money to drop on that deal. Perhaps next year. If anyone has pictures that they can scan into the site I would like to see them and am sure that others would enjoy them too.

P.S. How deep was the tank? I have never been there.

[Chadwick]

Yea, the money seems a little steep until afterward. I was thinking it might have been a bit much just for a little diving, but afterward, I can say it's one of those experiences I will always remember and share with others.
They said the tank was 14 foot deep. However, we spent a lot of time on the bottom and Jeans computer only logged 11 foot deep for both dives. I imagine it was 14 foot in the center which we didn't go because there was no way to maintain control with 3 guides.

[Chadwick]

My friend posted the pictures she took from the 'outside.' Unfortunately, the flash was reflected on a lot of em. I personally like the last picture. That was one of our wonderful guides poking a shark in the nose. I can give more info about each picture if anyone likes.