The commissary was spotless and it was time for us to make our way to the tank of hungry sharks.  After all, they were waiting for the herring we had just prepared.  For safety reasons, we would all be fitted with a harness and attached to a rope that was secured on the concrete deck surrounding the tank; much like rock climbing gear.  This sounded vaguely familiar—dangling from a rope above sharks.  It was my nightmare becoming a reality.

 It is hard to believe that this process was in place so that all of the sharks were fed properly and received their vitamins.  Most people would think that taking care of sharks is easy—you throw them food and be done with it.  Not so.  Sharks are as intricate as any other living organism and need to be treated as such.  We each were assigned a particular shark to target feed, to make certain that they all were fed.  Those of us waiting to feed a shark were assigned other jobs; we tossed squid and lettuce to the sea turtle sharing the tank, occupied the Crevale Jacks so they wouldn’t steal the shark’s food, and we also marked down how many fish each species of shark ate for the biologist that was assisting us.

To feed the sharks, one at a time we each stepped onto a small and narrow platform hanging over the tank and with a hinged pole, we target fed our chosen shark.  The tank is 65 feet by 35 feet and is 13 feet deep,   holding close to 90,000 gallons of water.  Calling this tank home are Nurse sharks, Zebra sharks, sand Tiger sharks, Black Tip Reef sharks, Goliath Grouper, Crevale Jacks and a Green Sea turtle.

 It was intimidating to step onto the platform and look down into a deep tank with sharks swimming back and forth just under foot.  My chosen species was a male Zebra shark that was a bit shy.  This made it slightly difficult for me to feed him because the other sharks were quick to try to take his food.  One by one, I was able to place the vitamin filled fish just at his lips so he could eat without fear of having his meal stolen.  The Zebra sharks actually looked like they could be leopards because of the spotted pattern on their bodies.  When these sharks are juveniles, they have yellowish stripes but as they mature, the stripes disappear.  However, they do have stripes running the length of their body, but you need to look close to see the texture of them in the skin.  Another feature that makes this shark unique is the length of its tail.  The tail is almost as long as the entire body, making them hard to mistake in the wild.  Another shark that caught my eye was a gigantic nurse shark that seemed to dominate the tank.  My mom was lucky enough to feed the large Nurse shark who actually came out of the water to rip the fish from her pole, providing us with a show of splashing and thrashing.

 It was exciting to say the least, and a unique experience that allowed all of us to enjoy an opportunity to get behind the scenes, and up close to some cool sharks.  If you are interested in reserving a spot on the tour you can visit flaquarium.org for details and available dates.  This adventure costs $65 per person and includes the tour, a cotton apron with “I fed the sharks” printed on the front, and entrance into the rest of the aquarium before and after your feeding time.  The tour group is small, making for a more intimate and educational experience—no more than 6 people are allowed at a time.  Facing my fear was worth the price tag and I am hoping that this experience will rid my nightmares of sharks.  My next adventure, if I can stomach it, will be to step into the tank with the sharks.  Wish me luck.



 

Karey getting ready to feed the shark.

 

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