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Shark Attacks at |
The
It was awarded the 2006 best aquarium in
Florida
Monthly.
It’s location on Channelside Dr.
right next to the Channelside
complex and cruise
terminals make it a popular spot for cruise passengers before
departing.
The signature glass architecture of
the aquarium make it a
very difficult spot to miss.
The Florida Aquarium has over 152,000
square foot and contains
over 10,000 aquatic plants and animals, with 1,350 different species.
Within the aquarium they have daily dive shows, up close animal encounter shows, and two touch tanks.
When you enter the aquarium the
exhibits are designed to
take you along to follow a drop of water that flows from the
underground all
the way to the sea. Each
exhibit displays
animals from each habitat along the way.
The main galleries in which the water
drop flows are the
Wetlands, Bays and Beaches, Coral Reefs, and the SeaHunt gallery.
My wife and I had an annual pass a
couple years ago when we
first moved down here and we really enjoyed it attending about 6 or 7
times
that year. It was
well worth the price.
I will get into the advantages of the
annual membership
later.
I must inform you that it is possible to fly through the entire aquarium in 1-2 hours.
This
is if
you really don’t take the time to read the information on the signs or
take
advantage of the shows.
However, if you attend the various
animal and dive shows and
spend some time in the newly created children’s waterpark, Explore A Shore you
could spend
anywhere from 3 to 5
hours there.
Penguin Promenade
One of the newest and most exciting
additions to the Florida
Aquarium is the arrival of Rocky
and Shelly,
a pair of Black-Footed
African
Penguins.
They appear in the lobby every day at
10 a.m. and 3 p.m. as
part of the Penguin
Promenade. 
Here is a tip that you will
thank me for.
Get
there early!
I would say be in the area at least 20 – 30 minutes before the show starts.
If
you get there too
late it will be difficult to get a seat and be able to see.
I am speaking from experience.
We recently attended the
aquarium and thought
that we would stroll to the Penguin encounter show 10 minutes early to
get a
good seat.
Hey, I thought 10 minutes would be
plenty early. However,
when we got there…
Standing room only!
It just blew my mind looking at the
size of this fish.
Shark Attacks
Also be sure to check out the excellent 
In
this exhibit are nurse sharks, tiger
sharks, black tip reef sharks, and zebra sharks.
The aquarium actually has a program
that allows you to swim
with the sharks as they swarm about you in the tank if you
have the guts.
I'm just kidding with you. It really is not dangerous.
Contrary to
the title of this article there are no shark attacks.
The reason that the aquarium designed the Dive with the Sharks
program is to
dispel the myth
that sharks are man-eaters.
In order to participate in this program you must be at
least 15 years
old and be a certified scuba diver.
However, if you prefer to watch
sharks play while you are
outside the tank then you can observe them at the Sharks! From Fear to
Fascination! show.
This demonstration portrays professional divers from the aquarium as they swim inside the tank with the sharks while talking to the crowd.
The Florida Aquarium also has a program in which you can Swim with the Fishes in the Coral Reef exhibit.
This program is a good alternative for the less courageous and for people that are not certified scuba divers, since this is not a requirement for this program.
Florida
Aquarium Water Park
The most
popular attraction at the aquarium for children by
far is the newly formed outdoor waterpark, Explore A Shore.
Here you will find a variety of water spouts, slides
and
playground-like equipment for children to play on.
They have equipment for all ages.
My one year old was even able to play
in the park with my
wife was standing next to her.
She tends to be a little prissy though and did not seem to be too fond of having water splash all over her.
But all of the
other kids were having a
blast.
For the older kids they have slides and a large pirate ship
to climb and play on. On
another side of
the park is where the children are able to spray each other with water
from the
water jets
in the area.
The cost for the
Initially, I felt that the admission price seemed a little steep.
However, when you take into
account the shows, touch tanks, and the outdoor water park I would
definitely
have to say that it is
worth the price.
Annual
Membership
You should strongly consider the
yearly membership. With
this you are able to attend the aquarium
all year for one price.
Also you receive free parking with
your membership. Other
membership perks include participation
in the SHARE program.
This program alone makes the annual
admission well worth the
price. The SHARE
program allows you to
get free or discounted
admission to over 25
Believe me, when we had our annual
pass we really took
advantage of the SHARE program. In
fact
I know that my wife and I saved
over $150 just taking advantage of this program
alone.
So there is my two cents.
The
If you want to see Florida wildlife in its natural habitat the aquarium offers an eco-tour sightseeing cruise that tours the Tampa Bay area.
The Florida Aquarium is not as large
as some of the
other major aquariums in
the country such as the
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