Diving EPCOT Living Seas

[RedWingDiver]

DiveQuest seems quite unimpressive to me. I guess if you are a totally new diver, and don't live in south florida (or anywhere else good for that matter) it may be cool.

I HATE diving without my own gear, you can't use your own camera, they limit you to under an hour of dive time (i'd still have 1 1/2 hours left on my tank at that point), and it's $140 for a single, less than an hour dive. I'd rather spend that on 2 - 3 boat trips, 4 - 6 dives on amazing wrecks off florida's coast, lobstering, spearing, etc. If you are a complete noobie, it would be fun for sure... any seasoned diver will probably not be so impressed.

I don't know...when I went (and yes I was/am a noob), I was in a group that had a number of seasoned divers, and they all seemed to have a good time. One of the unique things about this dive is that you can have fun with all of the people looking into the tank. It's even more fun when your non-diving family actually gets a chance to see you dive as well. There's also a really nice behind the scenes tour of the pavilion, places where most tourists aren't allowed to see at Disney. You get a chance to get a glimpse of the research that they do.

 

[scousegentleman]

Even if they allowed people to dive in their tanks, I don't think you'd enjoy diving in an overcrowded tank. It's a no surprise to me that one of their whale sharks just died last month.

On Jan 23rd, I missed my connecting flight in Atlanta to Belize (a blessing in disguise because I've always wanted to check out the Atlanta Aquarium LOL ), so the first thing we did was check out the aquarium ($30 dollar flat fee for one cab ride each way!)... I was totally taken aback, I imagined that the world's largest aquarium would provide for ample space for the fishes... I was totally WRONG. There were 3 whale sharks, many sharks, and I swear thousands and thousands of fishes swarming around in ONE tank. Made me sad... However there were some other exhibits that were pretty cool- man o wars, they had illuminated lights that brought out the best of their colors... garden eels (or was it snakes?)... a few "touching" pools where you could touch anemones and starfishes..

It's interesting you should say that, when I went to the Aquarium I was originally impressed by how big it was. Now that you mention it I was looking from the perspective of a 5' 9'' human and not a 30' Whale Shark! :no

What would you recommend in Belize?

 

[Thalassamania]

Guys,

I just found this video on scubavidz.com with people diving the Living Seas exhibit in Epcot at Disney World Florida: http://www.scubavidz.com/video/e0b3d77b-0b87-4c18-96b1-98b1000a74e9.htm.

It looks amazing but I didn't know you could do this! The link to the Disney site is: http://www.epcotdivequest.com/.

Has anyone done it? Is it as cool as it looks?

Thanks

Yes ... No

 

[scubanav]

In some of the other threads, they mention you can get a discount if you mention a Dive Shop or something???? And AAA. Also, I heard that you could take one person with you on the tour is this true. If so, could I take my 4 year old son on the tour, then take him back to the front when I get ready to do the dive. How do you set the dive up and how far in advance do I need to reserve a spot.

 

[TravisD]

Most of the certifying agencies will get you 10% if you mention their discount -- SSI and PADI for sure. AAA is also 10%. If you happen to pick up the Birnbaum's Disney guidebook, it (well, at least one of 'em) has a 15% coupon on the back.

I don't recall them letting other people do the pre-dive tour, but they did let family come back to the briefing room after the dive while we were changing, so they could watch the video.

 

[jeepguy]

...... Also, I heard that you could take one person with you on the tour is this true. If so, could I take my 4 year old son on the tour, then take him back to the front when I get ready to do the dive. How do you set the dive up and how far in advance do I need to reserve a spot.

If you call 1.407.939.8687 they can answer any questions that you have. They were very helpful when I was setting up my dive. PS, it was great!!!:14:

 

[scousegentleman]

OK this is the daftest question I could ever ask but I have to know out of curiosity, did anyone spot the Hidden Mickey?

 

[Capt Grumby]

When I dove (Dec 6 2006), there were 3 Hidden Mickeys. I also spent a few minutes adding a fourth! The rocks on the bottom make great outlines.
If you call far enough in advance to book your dive, try to get reservations for your non-diving family at the Coral Reef (make sure to tell them to reserve a "tank-side" table. That way, they can eat and have ring-side seats for your dive, instead of having to fight off the crowds of kids at the observation windows.

On another note, someone asked if they could "sneak their core warmer" under the shorty Disney provides. Bad Idea folks. They restrict outside gear to reduce contamination of the tank. You could introduce a bacteria that could possibly kill off the fish. The best way to overcome the problem is to ask for 2 shorties. It's not a problem, except the young lady that did this looked rather silly before and after the dive. She did mention, however, that she was warm!
One last note for you warm-water creatures ..... BEWARE THE EXHAUST BLOWER in the tower after the dive!!!

 

[Debay777]

OK this is the daftest question I could ever ask but I have to know out of curiosity, did anyone spot the Hidden Mickey?

No i didnt.where are they

 

[RedWingDiver]

The only Mickey I noticed was in the rocks, and that wasn't really that hidden.