Atlanta Georgia Aqaruim

[swimmer_spe]

https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/exp...ney-with-gentle-giants/dive-with-whale-sharks

I am considering heading south from the Great White North In February/March.

This is something I think would be cool. Has anyone actually done this? is it worth the $400

 

[PaloPinto]

Personally I wouldn't support the aquariums program of keeping whale sharks in captivity. I encourage you to do some research, many whale sharks have died due to being in captivity and yet some people still seem to think keeping a whale shark in a tank is viable.

 

[tbone1004]

would you rather those whale sharks alive and in captivity or dead on someones plate because that was their ultimate fate

 

[herman]

I have not done it but know a lot of people who have. One comment I have heard several make is it's just as good and $100 cheaper to snorkel instead of dive....the sharks tend to swim at the surface anyway and the tank is only 30 ft or so deep so you can see pretty much the same thing.

 

[HavanaDaydreamin]

I dove the GA Aquarium a few years back. I did it because it may be my only chance to ever see whale sharks and manta rays. The price is high but acceptable to me as a one-time adventure. The price only covers you getting to see the whale sharks from a distance. If you want the up-close action, you have to pay for the PADI Whale Shark Specialty certification. You can get within touching distance--quite the rush. But the aquarium doesn't want you to reach out and touch them. But if they touch you, well, "that's a bonus" as they said.
You'll also get to dive with the manta rays. Don't pay for the special cert for them. They'll practically be on top of you anyways. They love the bubbles.
Another tip: bring your own mask.

 

[KathyV]

I have visited the GA Aquarium twice and I thought it was an amazing place. It was the only time I have seen whale sharks IRL. We once did a whale shark excursion from a Sea of Cortez liveaboard that was advertised "99% guaranteed to find whale sharks". They had an ultralight pilot flying around to spot them - but unfortunately we were in the unlucky 1% because all I got out of that excursion was sun-poisoning!

Once we did a night dive in Kona, HI with mantas and it was an outstanding experience. I doubt if an aquarium dive could top that but I would love to dive with mantas again.

But since you are thinking of heading south to try aquarium diving have you considered DiveQuest at Epcot? No whale sharks but there has been a lot of discussion about it here on SB and it sounds pretty cool. See the link below as an example. And it is cheaper than the GA Aquarium, it is $179 per person plus tax. You might try it and see how you like aquarium diving before paying the big bucks in Atlanta. But come to think of it, I don't know if you also have to pay the Epcot park entry fee? That would raise the price but I'm not sure.

Years ago we took an underwater photography class at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and for our graduation we got to dive in the Coral Reef Tank. It was a very personal experience. It was a small class and we each dived one-at-a-time with the instructor (along with a "rescue diver" on top!) The tank is not nearly on the same size scale as the GA Aquarium or Epcot but it was a very memorable and enjoyable experience - so I would happily do another aquarium dive.

dive quest at epcot - report

 

[KathyV]

I've just checked several reviews of Epcot Divequest on TripAdvisor and you won't have to pay the Epcot Park Entry fee. Apparently the dive guides meet you at customer service outside the park and escort you inside past the gates. After the aquarium dive you exit into the park and are encouraged to enjoy the rest of your day at Epcot.

So that really seems like it is a bargain price! But it looks like the dives book up quickly so you may have to plan well in advance - unless you get lucky.

Another plus is that you will be in Central Florida and not too far from South Florida and the Keys, if you want to keep diving while on vacation, you could drive down to Key Largo in less than a day.

 

[kimmerscuba22]

I did this in 2014 for a birthday present to myself and loved it! It's a great program which is all about conservation, preservation and informing as many people as they can about how amazing every little being in the ocean is!
The tank itself is massive and they actually resuced all 4 of the whale sharks who live there. They take such great care of them and every other being that calls the aquarium home.
I would absoutely recommend it, worth every penny. I will never have the chance to dive with everything found there out in the ocean. Personally I wouldn't suggest the snorkel portion as you don't really get as great of an experience. The area where you snorkel is small and away from where all the action is. The whale sharks and manta's are drawn to the divers and will stay fairly close (they love the bubbles!) They tell the divers to stay on the bottom third of the tank and the manta's and whale sharks are in the middle but get very close, it's awesome! You can't forget about all the fish, sharks and sting rays who waste no time introducing themselves! Go for it! You won't be sorry!

 

[sportxlh]

I've done both the Epcot and the GA Aquarium dives. The GA dive is much more expensive but the tank is huge and you'll see considerably more species of fish, sharks, rays, etc. The sea life in the GA Aquarium looks like it is in pretty good shape while the tropical fish in the Epcot tank look a little beat up in comparison. Both programs have a behind the scenes tour which is pretty interesting in both cases. Both dives are worth doing as 'bucket list' type dives: fun to do once or twice, but given the expense, not something I'd repeat very often unless I got some sort of major discount. So if you'll be in Atlanta, definitely do the aquarium dive: its fun. If you're at Disney and the crowds in the park start driving you crazy, do the Epcot dive too. (BTW: you don't have to pay the park admission fee to do the Disney dive: if you don't want to go to the park, the Dive Master will meet you at the customer service area outside the park).

If one were visiting Orlando, note that Jupiter is only a little over 2 hours away and has some world class drift diving where you're likely to see sharks, goliath grouper, sea turtles in their natural habitat.