Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay

Dive with Sharks: an experience with real teeth

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Jun 30, 2009

Just when you thought it was safe to back into the water … MandalayBay gives its guests the opportunity to swim with sharks at the Shark Reef Aquarium.    

This depth-defying experience is courtesy of the property’s new Dive with Sharks program, specifically for guests staying at MandalayBay and THEhotel. Certified divers 18 and older can dive with guides amid more than 30 sharks, including sandtiger, white tip and sandbar sharks, in a 1.3-million-gallon exhibit. 

All dive participants must present a valid certification card from a recognized dive instruction agency such as the Professional Association of Diving Instructors or the National Association of Underwater Instructors.     

To make the experience more intimate, the program is limited to two participants and one dive per day. A team of dive guides teach participants safety procedures before the dive and provide a 2-to-1 guest-to-dive instructor ratio.    

The adventure begins at 3 p.m. with a guided tour of Shark Reef and a briefing on the predator-based aquarium’s inhabitants.  Participants receive dive and equipment orientation before changing into wetsuits and beginning their four-hour underwater journey.

Dive with Sharks participants learn about shark health and behavior in an up-close and personal educational program. The experience is designed to impart a deeper understanding of marine life, and insight into the Shark Reef Aquarium research projects aimed at preserving endangered species.

Shark Reef has been accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums since 2003.      

The Shark Reef sessions have an advantage over dives in the wild, said General Curator Jack Jewell. “During dives in the ocean, it is uncertain whether one or more sharks will swim close or appear at all. The Dive with Sharks program guarantees the opportunity to observe many sharks, as well as a variety of other creatures including green sea turtles, sawfish and mesmerizing schools of fish.”     

Dive with Sharks participant Adam Schaffer said the Shark Reef dive was "truly a world-class experience. I felt like I was diving in five different oceans, and there were times I actually forgot I was in an aquarium.”    

Participants receive a Dive with Sharks certificate of completion and a video of their dive. They can also bring up to four observers to view the dive from outside the exhibit. The observers also receive complimentary admission to Shark Reef and can join in the behind-the-scene tours.

- by Bobbie Katz, Las Vegas Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)