Just Announced today from Georgia Aquarium

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Yeah this looks promising, the only problem is the $290 price tag and lack of videos/photos of the 'experience'
 
Hughley overpriced at $290.... but.... The Georgia Aquarium has been "packed" since it opened. They can pretty much charge what they want and get it.

I hope they don't turn it into an indoor cattle boat operation though. Having 50 people a day in the water with the whale sharks is very likely to stress them out and they've already had enough problems with them.



For comparison, most aquarium dives are $120 to $150 bucks. Still kinda overpriced (in my opinion), but heck, most of them get their asking price.
 
A portion of the proceeds from this program support the Aquarium’s 4R conservation program so that is a good cause (Rehabilitation - Research - Rescue and Relocation). At $290 for scuba and $190 for snorkel, doubt it will be turned into a cattle boat. You get a DVD of your experience as part of your package.

On the other hand, $290 isn't a lot since you are GUARANTEED to swim with a Whale Shark. If you dive in the Ocean in the areas they are found, it's gonna cost you a lot more than $290 to get there (barring those who already live in the area where there are whale sharks in the wild, being how we are in GA we do not live near where they are found in the wild) and there a never any guarantees about Marine Life in the Ocean.

Safe Diving!
 
Whale Sharks swim off the GA's Atlantic Coast, and FL's, and along the Gulf Coast as well. Definately not garaunteed, but you get that chance encounter without flying to the Pacific.






For an Aquarium dive, its overpriced. Surely aquarium dives elsewhere, at a fraction of the cost, are putting a good portion, if not all, their procedes to good causes as well. Yes, you get Whale Sharks, but they're in an aquarium, not their natural environment - so it won't be the same experience as an encounter in the wild.
 
Philosophically, I can't support such programs because I'm opposed to the impoundment of such animals.

I think purchasing a ticket would be actively supporting such actions.

the K
 
I searched for this and didn't see it ... so ...

Swim with the Gentle Giants

What is the purpose of this program/overview of the dive?
The program is an exploration of the Ocean Voyager exhibit and introduction to the Georgia Aquarium conservation and whale shark research program. Swim with Gentle Giants is the only opportunity in the world where you are guaranteed to swim or SCUBA dive with the largest fish in the world, the whale shark. A portion of the proceeds from this program support the Aquarium’s 4R conservation program. For more information about the Georgia Aquarium’s 4R program, please visit the Web site at www.georgiaaquarium.org.

What is included in the experience?
The program includes a 30-minute swim or SCUBA dive in the Ocean Voyager exhibit. Participants will also view some behind-the-scenes areas of the Georgia Aquarium.
 
I entered the swimstakes every day during the contest, but alas, I did not win. (Well, hey, 1 in 125,000 or so isn't great. :wink:) They just announced that program on the Today show this morning.

A flight to Atlanta and a 30-minute guided dive in the Georgia Aquarium is about half what I'm paying for a flight to Bonaire and a week of shore diving, so I probably won't try it just yet. :biggrin:
 
Yep, definitely overpriced.
 
Wow, that price is a bit high.

Do you get a discount is one is floating belly up?

They do have a history.

I'm with Kraken on this one.

I don't agree with the jailing of animals. If you want to see them then get your cert and go dive.:wink:
 

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