jhayes75
Contributor
I decided it was time to take a refreshing break from the non-stop mile long hikes at Disney and sign up for Disneys dive quest. The anticipation grew stronger after eating lunch at the Coral Reef Restaurant that day which has great food and you cant beat the atmosphere. I paid the $175.00 fee and made the 5:45PM reservation. I sent the family on to do what ever and I met with about 14 other divers outside the gates of Epcot near the guest services center for 5:15PM. After signing in and giving our sizes to our guide we began our tour. The tour started out by pointing out the filtration system and she gave us an example as to how big a 6 million gallon aquarium is by stating that the Epcot ball can fit with room to spare. We were than brought to the kitchen where the food is prepared for all the fish that live in the aquarium. The guide showed us the menu and feeding times and informed us that as long as our names were not on the board we would be safe from the sharks. One of the divers asked who troy was because that name was on the menu and it was his name. It just happened that one of the sea turtles name was Troy. We finished up the tour with the Dauphin and Manatee tanks. We were then lead to a room where we watched a short video and signed waiver forms. After that was all done we headed to the locker room where lockers were provided with our names on them equipped with our wetsuit, booties, souvenir bag and a towel. I was at first disappointed that we could not use our own gear other than our mask and wrist computer, but after seeing their gear and the shape it was in, there were no issues. All the gear was Scuba Pro with Atomic Regulators and it was all maintained well. In fact it looked new. We were then escorted through some stairwell shaft that led to the tank which had to be some kind of cooling system, because it was freezing in there. I then waded in the 78deg water, donned my BC and Swam to the descent buoy where we plunged to the depths of 25ft for an Ok signal. The first loop around the tank was guided and then we were set free to roam on our own. It was a great experience to swim next to sharks and not feel threatened. I just wish we were allowed to use cameras. I had more fun just entertaining the guest and family looking through the 14 inch glass. I paid a couple of visits to the Coral Reef Restaurant and tried to get a little girl to give me her food, but she didnt give in. I couldnt tell you how many photo albums I made that day. I saw flashes from everywhere. Well after 43 minutes in the water, we headed to the locker room for showers and returned to the lounge where we watched our video which I later purchased for $30.00. In summary, I would recommend this event to anyone. I was more than pleased with staff, friendliness, and service and the gear was top notch. The fees collected for this attraction goes toward an Ocean conservation fund which has raised nearly 11 million dollars. Here are a few pictures from the outside.
