FLORIDA (4 Feb 2004) -- For thin-blooded South Floridians, February can be the least favorite month for scuba diving. Brisk winds and cool water drive some inshore to wait for the calm warmth and superior visibility of spring. But those with an undeniable urge to submerge in the dead of winter might want to head north to Disney World. Yes, you read that correctly. You can go scuba diving at Disney World year-round -- no current, no rough seas, 200-foot visibility, only 25 feet deep, and all sorts of fish, sharks, rays and turtles. The only drawback is the 70-plus-degree water temperature. For the past eight years, the six-million-gallon Living Seas aquarium at EPCOT Center has been open for daily late-afternoon scuba dives. Recently, the DiveQuest program has expanded to include snorkelers aged 8 and older. In the Seas Aqua Tour, participants use a Scuba Assisted Snorkel (SAS) unit that keeps them buoyant on the surface while they breathe compressed air from a regulator attached to a small tank. Both programs are very popular, according to Disney officials. And after diving there last week, I can see why. LOOK, SHARKS! Unlike boat diving, you get to suit up in a warm locker room. You don't bring any of your own gear except your mask, if you wish. Disney supplies everything. Dives are limited to 12 participants. You get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Living Seas pavilion before entering the water. As I prepared to step into the tank, I noticed a large metal curtain separating the dolphins from the rest of the occupants and asked dive-master Pam Saltman about it. ''That's for the protection of the other animals,'' Saltman said. ''The dolphins would flip them up in the air and play Frisbee with them.'' She hastened to add that DiveQuest is completely safe -- with virtually no chance of a diver being bitten by the fish, rays and sharks (blacknose and sandbar) living in the aquarium. | | ''The animals are fed three times a day, except the sharks,'' Saltman said. ''The sharks get fed every other day. They are not hand-fed. We feed them with tongs from the top because we don't want them to confuse hands with food.'' UP CLOSE Dive-master Clint Pouesi of New Zealand accompanied me on the dive. First we swam the periphery, waving to tourists peering through the glass in the pavilion and the restaurant. Pouesi even took out his regulator and blew bubble rings for the children, who jumped up and down and clapped. I was content to swim around and visit with my favorite creatures, all of whom I have encountered on previous open-water dives -- but never all at once. There were huge yellowtail snapper, porkfish, jacks, tarpon, a bulging-eyed black grouper and three huge Goliath grouper. I passed a graceful spotted eagle ray, Southern stingrays and small cow rays. Sharks glided by, sated and happy from being fed while I was suiting up. As I was admiring one of the rays, I turned and found myself face-to-face with a large green turtle. It swam right up to me, brushed my arm with its flipper, then alighted on the shell bottom and just sat there. I guess it had enough exercise for one day. I resumed swimming, marveling at tiny sergeant majors darting around aggressively, trying to protect their eggs from predators. No matter that the eggs were attached to a fake coral reef made of plaster and fiberglass. This was home to these sergeant majors, and they would defend it -- just as they do in the wild. Even though the water chilled me, I was reluctant to leave when my 45 minutes were up. It felt like bailing out of a really fun party way too early. But I was grateful for the hot shower in the locker room. ''We make it as easy as possible,'' Saltman said. And she is right. DiveQuest is a good reason to get wet this winter. SOURCE - Miami Herald |
