Sharks in Shanghai

If you are looking for something unique to do in China, I have a recommendation!

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Shanghai, and as part of my whole "conquering my fears" quest, I decided to sign up for an aquarium dive...in a shark tank. The dive is run by "Big Blue" company in Shanghai (see their website http://big-blue.cn/trips/shanghai.php).

One interesting part of the experience is that non-certified divers (or, as was the case with me, first-time divers) are allowed. There wasn't really any instruction, they just strap you into the gear and say go (but not before the aquarium manager gave a statement that did not help ease my fears of sharks.. "The sharks are very aggressive today, so please stay with your dive guide...stay in a group." Uhm, thanks).

Once I got into the water and figured out how to breathe (and worked on slowing down my breathing), it was actually a really relaxing, incredible experience. Although I preferred to hang out near the sea turtles that they have in the tank, I did accidentally kick a shark in the head at one point (I wanted to yell "sorry, please don't bite me.").

(I am the one in the blue flippers hidden partially by the shark in the first pic, and facing the camera in the one below it)

You stay in the water for about 30 minutes, and it was the perfect amount of time. If you get a chance to visit Shanghai and would like a more controlled environment for your first shark encounter, I recommend this experience! It was worth every 毛！