Swimming with the "Gentle Giants", the four Whale Sharks at Georgia Aquarium—as well as thousands more animals in the same habitat—is one of those top-ranking life experiences that I will never, ever forget.
And a lifetime of gratitude to my best friend Barry for gifting the experience to me. Our Swim was a few weeks ago and I'm still in awe of just how close we were to the Whale Sharks and Manta Rays...and many others. "Incredible" just doesn't begin to describe how awesome an experience this was!
I've done some pretty cool things. Right up there with skydiving, a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, attending a live satellite launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, and meeting Leonard Nimoy, the Swim with Whale Sharks experience at Georgia Aquarium is one that I'll cherish forever and always. It was that awesome!
In anticipation, we arrived early to explore the Aquarium, specifically to see the current special exhibition Sea Monsters Revealed: Aquatic Bodies, and of course we had to pop in to see the Whale Sharks...the ones we would momentarily be swimming with.
We reserved spots on the 4:30 p.m. Swim on a Friday, and they ask that swimmers check-in a half hour early, which we did. One of the super nice things about this swim is that there are a maximum of eight (8) swimmers, which makes for an intimate experience.
The above photo is the top of the Ocean Voyager habitat, where the four Whale Sharks and various other residents had just made our acquaintance.
Everything you need for the Swim is included. A wet suit, locker rooms to change in, breathing apparatuses...and your ticket gives you access to see the dolphin show, Deepo's show, special exhibitions, all the main galleries, as well as a souvenir photograph, a t-shirt, and the option to purchase a DVD of your Swim (check out ours on YouTube).
You won't soon forget the experience, but the mementos are nice to have.
Once we were checked-in there was an orientation. A very important orientation. The thing that sticks out most in my mind was the "don't touch" rule. The Whale Sharks get really, really, really close, but no touching! Most importantly, it could spook them and eventually make them leery of swimmers, meaning the end of such an incredible experience...for anyone!
The Georgia Aquarium Dive Team and other staff were incredibly helpful and put everyone at ease. I never once felt unattended. In fact, they were so amazing that I felt like a total VIP...during the entirety of the experience!
The Ocean Voyager habitat has two distinct areas. One is 20-feet deep and the other is 30-feet deep, with the acrylic viewing tunnel being the delineation between the two.
You'll see in our video that you have the opportunity to wave at tourists in the tunnel, which is a great place for family and/or friends to view your experience if they're not themselves swimming.
"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming...swimming...swimming..."...should that little ditty pop into your mind, just try not to laugh. But how can you not laugh at Ellen Degeneres' humor?!
While swimming you can see inside the acrylic tube perfectly, but you can't see the other side of the gigantic acrylic wall...apparently the angle of the wall doesn't work for swimmers, but of course the divers can see those visitors just fine.
The Georgia Aquarium Swim Team let on that it would be super cool to be grazed by one of the Whale Sharks, which is the only contact you get because of the "no touch" rule. Well, as close as I got, I had no contact, but was still blown away!
BUT, Barry had the great fortune to experience a "snag and drag"—that's what I coined it anyway. The tail fin of one of the Whale Sharks snagged him and pulled him a few feet. Not alarming at all...they swim so slowly.
The Swim Team had told us a story about something similar happening to another swimmer, but he'd been pulled a while longer. When "rescued", he said something to the effect of, "Let's do that again!"
As a former Sailor in the United States Navy, water feels very natural to me and I love the ocean...I was born in St. Peterburg, Florida, so water is in my blood. However, I never took my eyes off the 'other' sharks. And, only half jokingly, I confirmed with our guide Jodi that our put-in point was NOT near the feeding station.
Wouldn't want to confuse any of the carnivorous animals, right?! Speaking of which, some of my friends asked about the Whale Sharks...they're huge! Their throats are only the size of a walnut...so they're not going to swallow you, even if they tried, which they're not.
The Grouper, from what I perceived in conversation, are some of the the more worrisome of the animals in the habitat, BUT the support staff have "tools" to dissuade the Grouper. I've never felt safer in the water...these guys and gals know what they're doing!
The above photo doesn't show you just how humongous the Grouper...they're HUGE! Really HUGE! You can see it—in person—through the gigantic acrylic viewing window. I LOVE that window!
When you're swimming, the Whale Sharks, as well as the Manta Rays, will sneak up on you...not trying to scare you, of course, because they've invited you into their home. But seriously...you're swimming along and "Pow!"...there's a gigantic creature a mere feet away from you.
Just remember not to touch them and know that you have several of the Georgia Aquarium Swim Team there to help, just in case.
I mentioned that we'd arrived early to breeze though Sea Monsters. Breezing through is impossible...wonderfully surprising, it's a substantial exhibition! And we were invited to an unofficial pre-swim surprise tour where we got to see the Aquarium's operating room.
Read more about our visit to Sea Monsters here.
Speaking of staying healthy, a quick word of advice...if you deal with blood sugar issues, like I do, arrive early to eat at the cafe, or dine before you arrive—there are some fantastic restaurants in the area!
On numerous occasions over the years, I've headed to Cafe Aquaria to discover that it was already closed. In this particular case, I'd brought a protein bar with me and that held me over until we were finished, around 7:30 p.m., when we headed to Max's nearby for a fantastic pizza dinner!
After we'd finished our Swim and had been 'debriefed', one of the volunteers, Mim, treated us to a little more of the behind-the-scenes of the Aquarium, including the roof of the "recreation of a tropical Pacific coral reef, complete with an overhead crashing wave" in the Tropical Diver gallery. We got to see the mechanics of what creates that wave...beyond impressive!
I know I haven't shut up, but I feel like I'm robbing you of so much of the enthusiasm that this experience deserves. Seriously...this is one of the most wonderful things I've ever done, ever experienced!
That's Barry in the above photo during our Swim preview. We were so excited that we were almost late, but ended up having plenty of time between check-in and the start of the program. But don't push it...you don't want to miss any part of this experience!
I didn't expect to have so much to "say" about this experience...and there's so much more to say! And there's so much that I can only feel...that there are no words for. If you find yourself wanting and able to Journey with Gentle Giants, then do! It was such an incredible experience.
Of course we opted for the video of our Swim. This version includes some of the Aquarium's 'glamour shots', which you don't want to miss, and then there's our Swim...
And a lifetime of gratitude to my best friend Barry for gifting the experience to me. Our Swim was a few weeks ago and I'm still in awe of just how close we were to the Whale Sharks and Manta Rays...and many others. "Incredible" just doesn't begin to describe how awesome an experience this was!
 |
| Swim with Gentle Giants, Whale Sharks, Georgia Aquarium |
I've done some pretty cool things. Right up there with skydiving, a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, attending a live satellite launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, and meeting Leonard Nimoy, the Swim with Whale Sharks experience at Georgia Aquarium is one that I'll cherish forever and always. It was that awesome!
In anticipation, we arrived early to explore the Aquarium, specifically to see the current special exhibition Sea Monsters Revealed: Aquatic Bodies, and of course we had to pop in to see the Whale Sharks...the ones we would momentarily be swimming with.
We reserved spots on the 4:30 p.m. Swim on a Friday, and they ask that swimmers check-in a half hour early, which we did. One of the super nice things about this swim is that there are a maximum of eight (8) swimmers, which makes for an intimate experience.
 |
| Swim with Gentle Giants, Whale Sharks, Georgia Aquarium |
The above photo is the top of the Ocean Voyager habitat, where the four Whale Sharks and various other residents had just made our acquaintance.
Everything you need for the Swim is included. A wet suit, locker rooms to change in, breathing apparatuses...and your ticket gives you access to see the dolphin show, Deepo's show, special exhibitions, all the main galleries, as well as a souvenir photograph, a t-shirt, and the option to purchase a DVD of your Swim (check out ours on YouTube).
You won't soon forget the experience, but the mementos are nice to have.
 |
| Swim with Gentle Giants, Whale Sharks, Georgia Aquarium |
Once we were checked-in there was an orientation. A very important orientation. The thing that sticks out most in my mind was the "don't touch" rule. The Whale Sharks get really, really, really close, but no touching! Most importantly, it could spook them and eventually make them leery of swimmers, meaning the end of such an incredible experience...for anyone!
The Georgia Aquarium Dive Team and other staff were incredibly helpful and put everyone at ease. I never once felt unattended. In fact, they were so amazing that I felt like a total VIP...during the entirety of the experience!
The Ocean Voyager habitat has two distinct areas. One is 20-feet deep and the other is 30-feet deep, with the acrylic viewing tunnel being the delineation between the two.
You'll see in our video that you have the opportunity to wave at tourists in the tunnel, which is a great place for family and/or friends to view your experience if they're not themselves swimming.
 |
| Swim with Gentle Giants, Rays, Georgia Aquarium |
"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming...swimming...swimming..."...should that little ditty pop into your mind, just try not to laugh. But how can you not laugh at Ellen Degeneres' humor?!
While swimming you can see inside the acrylic tube perfectly, but you can't see the other side of the gigantic acrylic wall...apparently the angle of the wall doesn't work for swimmers, but of course the divers can see those visitors just fine.
The Georgia Aquarium Swim Team let on that it would be super cool to be grazed by one of the Whale Sharks, which is the only contact you get because of the "no touch" rule. Well, as close as I got, I had no contact, but was still blown away!
BUT, Barry had the great fortune to experience a "snag and drag"—that's what I coined it anyway. The tail fin of one of the Whale Sharks snagged him and pulled him a few feet. Not alarming at all...they swim so slowly.
The Swim Team had told us a story about something similar happening to another swimmer, but he'd been pulled a while longer. When "rescued", he said something to the effect of, "Let's do that again!"
 |
| Swim with Gentle Giants, Sharks, Georgia Aquarium |
As a former Sailor in the United States Navy, water feels very natural to me and I love the ocean...I was born in St. Peterburg, Florida, so water is in my blood. However, I never took my eyes off the 'other' sharks. And, only half jokingly, I confirmed with our guide Jodi that our put-in point was NOT near the feeding station.
Wouldn't want to confuse any of the carnivorous animals, right?! Speaking of which, some of my friends asked about the Whale Sharks...they're huge! Their throats are only the size of a walnut...so they're not going to swallow you, even if they tried, which they're not.
 |
| Swim with Gentle Giants, Grouper, Georgia Aquarium |
The Grouper, from what I perceived in conversation, are some of the the more worrisome of the animals in the habitat, BUT the support staff have "tools" to dissuade the Grouper. I've never felt safer in the water...these guys and gals know what they're doing!
The above photo doesn't show you just how humongous the Grouper...they're HUGE! Really HUGE! You can see it—in person—through the gigantic acrylic viewing window. I LOVE that window!
 |
| Swim with Gentle Giants, Rays, Georgia Aquarium |
Just remember not to touch them and know that you have several of the Georgia Aquarium Swim Team there to help, just in case.
 |
| Swim with Gentle Giants, Operating Room, Georgia Aquarium |
I mentioned that we'd arrived early to breeze though Sea Monsters. Breezing through is impossible...wonderfully surprising, it's a substantial exhibition! And we were invited to an unofficial pre-swim surprise tour where we got to see the Aquarium's operating room.
Read more about our visit to Sea Monsters here.
Speaking of staying healthy, a quick word of advice...if you deal with blood sugar issues, like I do, arrive early to eat at the cafe, or dine before you arrive—there are some fantastic restaurants in the area!
On numerous occasions over the years, I've headed to Cafe Aquaria to discover that it was already closed. In this particular case, I'd brought a protein bar with me and that held me over until we were finished, around 7:30 p.m., when we headed to Max's nearby for a fantastic pizza dinner!
 |
| Swim with Gentle Giants, Behind the Scenes Tour, Georgia Aquarium |
After we'd finished our Swim and had been 'debriefed', one of the volunteers, Mim, treated us to a little more of the behind-the-scenes of the Aquarium, including the roof of the "recreation of a tropical Pacific coral reef, complete with an overhead crashing wave" in the Tropical Diver gallery. We got to see the mechanics of what creates that wave...beyond impressive!
I know I haven't shut up, but I feel like I'm robbing you of so much of the enthusiasm that this experience deserves. Seriously...this is one of the most wonderful things I've ever done, ever experienced!
 |
| Swim with Gentle Giants, Sharks, Georgia Aquarium |
That's Barry in the above photo during our Swim preview. We were so excited that we were almost late, but ended up having plenty of time between check-in and the start of the program. But don't push it...you don't want to miss any part of this experience!
I didn't expect to have so much to "say" about this experience...and there's so much more to say! And there's so much that I can only feel...that there are no words for. If you find yourself wanting and able to Journey with Gentle Giants, then do! It was such an incredible experience.
Of course we opted for the video of our Swim. This version includes some of the Aquarium's 'glamour shots', which you don't want to miss, and then there's our Swim...
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