A bit overdue, but I've been busy lately - I also just completed my AOW dives this past weekend, but that's another post.
As previously reported, we booked the dives for Sunday 8/11 at 5:30pm. You have a choice of diving at 4:30pm or 5:30 pm - I picked the later dives as I had read that they let you stay in a little longer if you have the later time. Cost is $140 per diver - a bit steep but most of the money goes to the Wildlife Preservation Fund.
After spending the day at Epcot, my daughter and I exited the park at 5:15pm and reported to the Guest Relations window at the main gate. My wife and younger daughter went to the Living Seas exhibit to stake out a good viewing area. The tour was full - we met the other six people while waiting. There was a husband and wife from Virginia, and father/son team from Denver, a guy visiting his parents from Wisconsin, and a vacationer from England.
At 5:30pm we were met by the DiveQuest staff. After collecting our C-cards and size requirements for t-shirts and equipment, we were led through a gate into the back of the house of Disney World. I now know where the garbage in WDW goes - we were led past a couple of dumpsters right behind the main gate
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We were led into the Living Seas exhibit through a back door after being shown the filtering system for the aquarium. Once in the back of the exhibit we toured the research facilities and hospital areas. We were then taken to the briefing room where we filled out the standard "you won't sue if you die" releases. We were also shown a brief introductory video of what to expect. The verbal briefing included a couple of warnings - don't touch the fish - especially the turtles, stay away from the separate dolphin cage, and since we are in a Disney exhibit we are looked at as Disney employees, so act appropriately in front of the guests. But were encouraged to interact with them as well. We were also warned to stay off the "coral". Though it's not real, it can still be broken off.
We were them led to the locker rooms where our equipment had been put into separate bags with our names on them. Disney supplies all equipment, however you are allowed to bring your own mask if you want. We put on our booties and shortie wetsuits, then were led out through the public areas where we attracted a great deal of attention. We were taken to the top of the tank where we recieved another quick tour around the top, and were shown where the dolphin's private area was, as well as the equipment used in research.
Finally it was time to gear up. The have a platform you step down to waist deep water that makes getting your BC and tank on much easier. The water was cool at first - they keep the water around 75° to slow algae growth. We dove with 63 cf tanks. One surprising bit of equipment were the Atomic split fins they gave us. It was my first time using split fins and I loved them, especailly since there was no current to deal with.
The divemaster gave us another quick briefing - he'd lead us all down as a group where'd we do a quick tour around the tank, finishing with sticking our heads into a pressurized bell, all while being shot by the videographer. After that we were free to roam the aquarium at will.
We had a ball, especially hamming it up for the guests. We went to every window waving to the people, blowing bubble kisses, and playing peekaboo with little kids. We hovered in front of the restaurant windows waving. We did some somersaults, barrel rolls other little things to amuse folks. It was amazing at how many people wanted to take our pictures and video us. There was a wedding reception going on in a private room that has windows that look into the aquarium. We even got our picture taken with the bride and groom who backed up to the window and we positioned ourselves on either side of them.
My wife took plenty of pictures of us which I will post as soon as I get them developed. My youngest daughter also got quite a kick of telling people that's my dad and sister in there, and my wife got a number of questions about how we got in, etc.
The life in the tank was amazing. Two big turtles, sharks, giant groupers, sargent fish, snapper, jacks, rays and dolphins (though separated by bars and a bubble barrier) were everywhere. None of the sealife were skittish and seemed quite used to having divers in the tank. The brown sharks were the closest I've been to sharks other than the nurse sharks here in Florida. They swam in a figure eight and never varied from the same path. One even swan between the legs of a diver who got a bit too close to it's path. My only regret here was that they didn't allow cameras into the tank.
It was time to get out when the divemaster rapped his tank to get our attention. The best advice we got before hand was to book the later dive as you could stay in longer. It was true. We were in the water for 53 minutes. The divemaster said he let us stay longer as were a little late getting in and two members of the group changed out tanks, so he wanted them to make up that time as well.
We were led out through the public areas again, dripping wet and shivering in the air conditioning. Back into the locker rooms for hot showers, them back to the briefing room. We were given refreshments, t-shirts, certificates and information on the Wildlife Preservation Fund. The divemaster signed logbooks and answered questions we had. We were then shown the video that was taken during the dive, and given the opportunity to purchase one. I did.
Dive stats - visibility 203', water temp 77°, max depth 25'. Chop was 1", caused by us jumping in.
I would recommend this dive to anyone going to WDW. It's fun to be part of Disney, even if for only a short time, and the life in the tank rivals anything that you'd find in the Caribbean.
