The Disney cast member staring at me has puffy cheeks and bulging eyes. His hardened, thick lips move his mouth open and closed as he inspects me with a look of indifference.
But I’m not intimidated; in fact, I’m intrigued. It’s not every day that you come face-to-face with a Goliath grouper, especially one that spends his days entertaining visitors at Disney World.
My new marine friend is part of Epcot’s Living Seas, said to be the world’s largest saltwater aquarium. The 6 million-gallon (22 million liter) tank is home to more than 65 species of marine life, including rays, sharks and some 2,000 fish.
 |
Disney’s DiveQuest program takes certified
divers on expert-led tours of its 6 million gallon
(22 million liter) onsite aquarium. |
Each year, millions of visitors stream past the well-done exhibit at the Orlando-based theme park, exclaiming over sea turtles and pointing out sharks, but very few experience this micro-world beneath the surface of the water.
I just happen to be one of the lucky ones taking part in Disney’s DiveQuest, a little-known program that allows certified divers to don a tank and dive into this aquatic world.
All my family and I had to bring to the experience were our swimsuits and dive-certification cards. Disney did the rest. Upon arrival, we were fitted with top-of-the-line wet suits and dive gear. Then our dive master, Justin Delude, gave our small dive group (kept to a maximum of 12 divers) an orientation on the kinds of sea life we would be viewing.
Then finally, it was time to get into the water. Though my family and I had earned our dive certifications back in our land-locked home state of Colorado, this was to be our very first “sea” dive — and we couldn’t wait to jump in.
“DiveQuest is a great place for beginning divers,” Delude had told us as we donned our tanks and readied to step into the water. “There is no current to contend with, and no visibility or weather problems.”
Continued: Under the Sea with Disney's DiveQuest
1 |2 |Next
| 