Swimming with the sharks: Shark safari

Swimming with the sharks is not as daunting as it first sounds, and you don’t need to be a certified diver to do it either. The Atlantis on Wednesday launched its Shark Safari, a new attraction that offers visitors the chance to get up close and personal with marine life by using a specially designed helmet based on the Sea Trek underwater system, which has been engineered for comfort, safety and reliability. The system requires little training, and a small information session on underwater sign language is offered beforehand to anyone aged between eight and 80 who is brave enough to walk next to sharks. “A backpack, which holds the oxygen cylinder, rests on the person’s shoulders and then the helmet is placed on top of the backpack,” said Rob Bennett, manager of large exhibitions at the Atlantis. “The helmet weighs 32 kilograms but when you enter the water, it becomes a lot lighter and feels like its only six kilos instead,” he pointed out, noting that the helmet allows non certified people to become marine explorers. As a novice to underwater exploration and having never even done scuba diving, going at the bottom of a water tank at Shark Lagoon was the ultimate thrill. ‘Initial shock’ Regardless of your swimming skills or physical ability, all you have to remember is to keep calm and to keep equalising the pressure from your eyes – the same feeling you get when you’re in an airplane that’s taking off. After the initial shock of submerging your whole body under water, it eventually becomes easy to see your way around and past the constant bubbles flowing from the helmet. And with only four guests per dive allowed in the Shark Lagoon, the tank is spacious enough for everyone to stroll on the sand and marvel up close at the black tip reef sharks, rare marble rays and other colourful and exotic fish and coral. Equipped with a full cylinder of oxygen and a patient professional scuba diver by my side, I slowly got the confidence to witness the marvel of mother nature and finally understand why scuba diving is such a popular sport. Pity though that when I did start feeling comfortable, it was already too late as the diver standing by my side pointed upwards towards the ladder and with some underwater sign language, shuffled me back to land. The Shark Safari costs Dh275 per person and is available daily from 11am-12pm, and 1-4pm.