Like An Underwater Cat

My horoscope in Saturday said, “It is a DIY kind of day, so make sure you are taking care of business in your own fashion. It may be a good time for you to try something you never thought you could do before”.

Ok.

So I dove with the sharks.

Yay! Why was it complimentary? I won a Dive with the Sharks voucher from Sunshine Bakeries on their facebook contest. I know, bread and sharks are totally unrelated but it was “Share with us your most exciting and fun adventure ever! ” and I wrote about being above water, on the Bridge Climb but never having an adventure under water.

This is semi off-topic but their marketing department are pretty on the ball! Their message to me on facebook went into the ‘others’ inbox and I contacted them back, hoping it wasn’t too late. They told me to email after I didn’t get a reply on their FB and their emails are super fast with the voucher sent to my physical mail quickly. So off to the Underwater World we go.

I brought my pals, Lyn, Jo, Max and Raven along since there was 20% discount for 4 people who come with my ticket.

This is Raven feeding koi with a milk bottle. It was $4 and feeding was only at specific times for all other sea creatures too. So ahh, that was fun. This was just past the entry too.

You can pet and touch the fishes in some of the petting ponds but you should definitely follow the rules to do so.

To feed them, the staff will be there to sell you the big pellets or their specified food for the rays or other big fish. There’s small fish food for some freshwater fishes too.

Anyway, FUN.

The Underwater World is older than the newly opened S.E.A Aquarium but still pretty fun (and much cheaper) to go to.

There are all sorts of marine life too and sea angels which are a sort of creature that swims in 2 degrees Celsius water and stuff.

The ones in the picture above are jellyfish!

Besides the petting tanks and exhibit areas on the first level, this is the main attraction. The ‘tunnel’ where you get to get on the travelator and just get around from there.

But I was there for THIS. YEAAAAAH.

A note, I always wanted to do this hence that was why I totally entered the Sunshine Bakeries competition. ALSO, I am not a certified diver. Just look at the Underwater World website for more info but yes, you can do this if you’re not-certified but you must have the fitness for it.

Consider this like a ‘trial’ mini dive. WHAT I LEARNED. OK. WOW. The tank and stuff is heavy, good thing that I do train and lift stuff hahaha. Also that I can change my ear pressure pretty ok. It’s the ear popping thing you do for flights and stuff, that is totally needed for this.

Oh and to listen to your instructor for the dive! She was really cool, I forgot her name though, haaa.

So here’s to me touching a leopard shark.

Kneeling and petting another shark, the ‘usual’ grey ones you see. That was one, I was like “Noooooooooo” because it was chilling on the floor, so I kneeled and petted it and then it walked swam away like a cat.

There were plenty of the grey ones but they’re all like the cats I meet that would just walk away after petting them and stuff.

Other fishes were around of course and I tried to touch them but the smaller ones were so muuuch faster than me so before I could reach them they moved away hahahah. It’s the larger sharks that are easier to hold on to. They’re nice!

I am so crap at moving around because it is not that easy with me floating about of sorts. Anyway, I never dove before this so lots of flailing of trying to ‘swim’ to the other side.

And I got this t-shirt for it! Soooooo fun. It is quite picturesque inside the tank and I saw how the ‘top’ side is since they bring you via the staff entry to get into the water.

So thanks Sunshine Bakeries, thanks Underwater World and the staff!

Ps. Max was able to do some live drawing there so here: