Diving Into the Fishbowl

[eric myers 2]

From the New York Times
June 17, 2005
Diving Into the Fishbowl
By BONNIE TSUI
THE sharks are circling. I've been assured that they aren't particularly hungry at the moment and that they prefer other fish to the clams I clutch in my hands. But I can't help being suspicious. As I breathe heavily from my scuba tank, the doubts take musical form inside my head, and they sound a lot like the theme from "Jaws."

In a sudden swoop, an eight-foot-long, 150-pound spotted eagle ray descends, flapping her wings excitedly. With a seismic crunch that carries very audibly underwater, she gobbles the clams from my hand, tailed by a motley crew of orange-banded surgeonfish, yellow tangs and various jacks, wrasse and snappers that bump up against me as they vacuum up the crumbs.

This by turns merry and menacing assortment of marine life swirls around me in the Maui Ocean Center's 750,000-gallon Open Ocean exhibition, where I am swimming under the supervision of Jeff Hedlund, a staff diver. In the tank with me are thousands of darting fish - about 60 species in all, including four black tip reef sharks, eight sandbar sharks and one prized tiger shark - and they are the big draw behind taking a dip in the Open Ocean tank.

Two years old this month, the Shark Dive program is part of a relatively new phenomenon at aquariums in the United States. Once the exclusive - and enviable - territory of staff scuba divers and a lucky few volunteers, the underwater world behind the aquarium glass is now being opened to the public on a pay-to-dive basis.

Aquariums in South Africa, Britain and Australia have had diving programs since the early 1990's, but only a handful of American aquariums currently offer them, including the Maui Ocean Center in Hawaii, the Florida Aquarium in Tampa and the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.

These programs vary in specifics and restrictions; for example, Maui requires that all participants be at least 15 and certified for scuba diving and allows only two divers at a time. But noncertified guests can get into the Florida Aquarium's 500,000-gallon Coral Reefs Gallery for its Swim With the Fishes program, which teaches the basic concepts of scuba to anyone age 6 or older, in a 2,000-fish exhibition modeled on a dive site in the Dry Tortugas. Though only Maui and Florida allow divers to swim with their sharks, all the programs have been quietly drawing a devoted following over the last two years.

"When we snorkel with the kids, we're constantly looking for reef sharks under ledges, and after many dives and hours of looking we've probably seen only 5 to 10 close up," said Lynn Keane, 40, a scuba diver from Gold River, Calif., who visited the Maui Ocean Center in March. She and her husband, Kevin, an endodontist, joined a morning shark dive during their stay. "The difference with an aquarium dive," she said, "is that we saw more sea life in one dive than we could in 20 dives."

Though Mrs. Keane has gone scuba diving in places as diverse as Tahiti, Monterey and the British Virgin Islands, she has never seen an eagle ray in the wild. "It was incredible not just to see an eagle ray but to interact with one," she said of her experience in the aquarium. "It reminded me of a really friendly dog."

Like other aquariums that exclusively feature local fish, Maui constantly rotates animals back into the ocean; unlike most, it functions on an open system, changing the seawater - 1,500 gallons a minute from adjoining Maalaea Bay - which helps keep its fish healthy. Curators collect new fish several times a week.

"We're one of the few aquariums that can even house a tiger shark - it's an open ocean dweller that is not used to staying in one particular area for any length of time," said Liz Smith, public relations manager at Maui. The Open Ocean tank has been modified with a padded liner to limit chafing for the sharks, which like to swim along the perimeter. It also has a strong current running through it, creating a more natural and healthier environment for larger animals like sharks and rays.

For native Hawaiians, sharks have always held deep spiritual significance, and the Maui program includes a 15-minute video by Kahu Charles Kauluwehi Maxwell Sr., the aquarium's Hawaiian cultural adviser. "The shark's role is to eliminate the dead, dying and sick from the ocean," he said. "It's a top predator and is the most important in keeping the balance of the fish stock. Hawaiians are taught from a very young age that everything in the environment is connected. We want to reinforce its role as a guardian of the ocean and encourage respect when we enter its home."

Respect is also a key word at the Florida Aquarium, where the focus of its shark diving program is to dispel the myths and fears surrounding sharks, which Dr. Niraj Govil, a family practitioner from Manalapan, N.J., who participated in the shark dive in May, called the ocean's most misunderstood predators.

"You're down there as their guest, so you have to be careful and respect them," said Dr. Govil, 37, who earned his scuba certification in 1986. He has completed shark dives in the Bahamas but said that he was able to see much more in the aquarium. "I got a chance to get up close and personal with these animals, he said. As a doctor, I'm just fascinated by their skin, which is all cartilage. Just watching them swim, it's a perfect motion. As animals, they haven't changed much in a long time. I'm just fascinated by it."

THE Florida Aquarium program is a bit of a hybrid that includes both the shark dive, which caters to certified divers interested in shark interaction, and Swim With the Fishes, which is geared toward younger, inexperienced guests.

Other aquariums also have diving programs for children, like Monterey Bay's Underwater Explorers, which begins its third season tomorrow in the aquarium's Great Tide Pool exhibition.

"It's funny. We've gotten many comments from adults about when it's going to be their turn," said Brianne Berlin, a diving program director at Monterey Bay. "We've designed this program specifically for the 8-to-13 age group; it's our mission to get kids at a young age into the ocean to open their minds to opportunities that they might not know are out there."

The aquarium has taken more than 6,000 children into the water over two summers. Because of the weightless environment, the program is also able to accommodate children with disabilities. There are no current plans for an adult program.

"We've heard comments like: 'It's the best thing I've done in my life,' " Ms. Berlin said. "When compared to family trips, riding a bike or playing sports as things 10-year-olds might do, we are excited they rank it so high. Hopefully, once they experience how amazing the ocean is, they will be inspired to care for it by taking action in the future to protect it."

One of the first children to participate at Monterey Bay was Matt Deal, 13, of Monterey. "I had a lot of fun because I got to see the monkey-faced eel," he said. "It kind of swam out from between the rocks. They said it was pretty cool that I got to see it because not many people get to see one. And I also got to see a crab that was as big as a foot." He plans to get his scuba certification with his family this summer in Hawaii.

Then there are those who are inspired by aquarium diving even beyond the standard call of the deep. Last May at the Maui Ocean Center, one couple chose to be married inside the exhibition.

"We even had our wedding rings brought to us in a clam shell," said Roxann Grant, an accountant from Las Vegas. "While we entered the tank, there was live guitar music to soothe James's mother, who had no idea there would be 17 sharks in the tank with her son."

The Grants have planned another aquarium dive to celebrate their first anniversary.

Where to Get a Fish's-Eye View

THREE big aquariums in the United States have programs that allow visitors to tour the exhibitions from inside the tanks. Restrictions on participation vary when it comes to age and diving skill.

MAUI OCEAN CENTER 192 Maalaea Road, Wailuku, Hawaii; (808) 270-7000; .

The Shark Dive at Maui is for certified scuba divers age 15 and older. The sessions are by reservation only and begin at 8:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The cost is $199 and includes scuba tank, weights and admission to the aquarium for the diver and a viewing visitor.

FLORIDA AQUARIUM 701 Channelside Drive, Tampa; (813) 347-4000; .

For ages 6 and older, Swim With the Fishes includes modified scuba equipment and admission for the swimmer and one viewing guest for $75. For certified scuba divers 15 and older, the Dive With the Sharks program is available from Friday to Sunday at $150 a diver, including equipment; reservations are required.

MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, Calif.; (866) 963-9646; .

From mid-June to early September, Monterey Bay offers the Underwater Explorers scuba program for children 8 to 13 who have basic swimming skills. There are four sessions daily at $79 a person, which includes equipment but not admission to the aquarium.

[Appolion]

"We've heard comments like: 'It's the best thing I've done in my life,' " Ms. Berlin said. "When compared to family trips, riding a bike or playing sports as things 10-year-olds might do, we are excited they rank it so high. Hopefully, once they experience how amazing the ocean is, they will be inspired to care for it by taking action in the future to protect it."

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