‘It’s really beautiful.’ TNT gets a sneak peek at Point Defiance aquarium’s shark dives
An imposing nurse shark cautiously approaches a diver, coming within a few feet before changing directions. A large stingray hugs the sandy floor while two neon-striped cleaner wrasse dart around a wide-mouthed potato grouper.
The warm-water marine experience — chock full of colorful coral and sea life — happened not in the tropics, but in Tacoma. The News Tribune got an exclusive look Monday morning at the return of “Eye-to-Eye Shark Dives.”
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, 5400 N. Pearl St., officially will relaunch the program Wednesday, Aug. 21, after nearly three years. Divers ages 8 and up can immerse themselves in the underwater world from the safety of an enclosure.
Sharing the water with sharks as they go about their business brings a certain sense of calm, The News Tribune learned firsthand. It’s a sentiment echoed by Cameron Trout, an assistant dive-safety officer at the aquarium.
“Scuba diving is like my meditation time,” Trout told the newspaper. “It makes you think about your breathing, and you’re completely weightless underwater.”
Six shark species swim in the recently remodeled Tropical Reef Aquarium’s Outer Reef habitat, according to a Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium news release. In addition to nurse sharks, visitors can see zebra, blacktip reef, whitetip reef, gray reef and tasselled wobbegong sharks.
Eye-to-Eye Shark Dives features 18 sharks in all, according to the news release.
Bursts of vibrant hues — greens, pinks, yellows and blues — greet program participants, Trout added: “It’s really beautiful.”
Point Defiance Zoo reopened its Tropical Reef Aquarium (formerly called the South Pacific Aquarium) in June following a $7.09 million renovation, The News Tribune previously reported. It temporarily closed in November 2021, putting the shark program on hold, too.
Since then, the zoo has made improvements and repairs to animal-care structures, habitats and life-support systems. When it comes to Eye-to-Eye Shark Dives, that’s translated to a higher comfort level for humans and sharks alike, said PDZA spokesperson Tessa Miller.
“The stair entry and motorized lift give increased options for entry into the water,” Miller continued via email. “The underwater space is wider, but in a corner, giving divers more space while simultaneously reducing the footprint in the sharks’ space.”
More than 23,000 guests have enjoyed the program since it started in 2013, Miller said. It paused during the pandemic in 2020 before getting put on hold once more in 2021.
Folks don’t need scuba experience to sign up for Eye-to-Eye Shark Dives. Aquarium workers equip participants with the proper goggles and gear and teach them how to breathe surface-supplied air through their mouths.
Then it’s time to plunge into 76-degree waters.
Once submerged, adventurers can watch sharks roam for about 20 minutes. Be sure to soak it all in — for The News Tribune, at least, the time flew by.
Back on land, divers learn about conservation and sharks’ importance to ocean ecosystems.
Sharks suffer from a bad reputation thanks to films like “Jaws,” “47 Meters Down” and “Sharknado,” noted lead dive-safety officer Heidi Wilken.
“This is what a lot of people think of when they think of sharks, and that’s not really sharks’ true nature,” Wilken said. “So, this program is a chance to get in the water and really get to know sharks as they truly are, and also walk out the door with some information about how to help care for and protect them.”
Sharks play a crucial role in ocean ecosystems, including by balancing prey populations and helping to feed other species, Wilken said. After a shark takes a bite out of a fish, for example, other marine life will feed on the leftover bits.
Wilken flagged a worrisome trend: About a third of shark and ray species are threatened, including nearly every type seen on the dive.
Human actions like overfishing have led 100 million sharks to perish each year, she said. It equates to roughly 10,000 sharks per hour, she added — about the span of a typical Eye-to-Eye Shark Dives program.
Wilken hopes that people will feel enthusiastic about sharks after embarking on a dive at Point Defiance.
“Getting to see the color of their skin underwater, and the way that they swim and what they do, is just magical,” Wilken said. “Every dive ... is certainly a highlight of my life and career, and we’re really excited that you’re here and that we get to share it with you.”
Tickets for zoo members are $95 each plus tax; for non-members, it costs $115 plus tax, according to the zoo. The price covers the experience, zoo entry and a dive video as a souvenir.
Learn more by visiting pdza.org/dive.
This story was originally published August 20, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
