Hiyo- Megan reporting from my first scholarship mini-roadtrip!
I drove up to Tampa, Florida today to spend the day with the staff of Florida Aquarium. Special thank you to Casey Coy, Director of Diving Operations, for hosting my visit behind the scenes. I learned the aquarium industry sits in a unique position in the diving world, unable to fit neatly into the recreational, scientific, or commercial definition. Florida Aquarium dive staff handle projects ranging from coral outplanting to historic shipwreck research, all the while also wrangling exhibit animals and scrubbing tanks. These are very talented divers! Florida Aquarium’s largest coral reef exhibit is home to tarpon, barracuda, goliath grouper, Nassau grouper, a sandbar shark, nurse sharks, sand tiger sharks, a rehabilitating sea turtle, and the largest moray eels I’ve ever seen. The tank holds 500,000 gallons of salt water and is three stories tall. The top of the tank reaches the top of the building and is open to the air on the roof. This unique design has shown to be healthier for the aquarium fish reducing disease occurrence possibly due to UV exposure. Who ever said a little sun isn’t good for you? It did however delay our diving when an afternoon lightning storm blew through.
I was very surprised to learn that all the water for the tanks is transported in from offshore in the ballast of freight ships. Tampa Bay is a huge inshore waterway and the salinity changes dramatically throughout based on the flow of the Hillsborough River. Salinity, temperature, and water quality all affect the health of animals in an aquarium just like in the wild. New sea water is delivered several times each month and a filtration circulates all the water 7 times every day!
Aquariums across the nation are the gateway to the underwater world. Florida Aquarium has a very unique layout tracing water through the state’s water systems. The first whole section of the aquarium is devoted to freshwater ecosystems. My favorite exhibits there were the alligators and river otters. Moving into the brackish (mixed salt and fresh) environment there are live mangroves growing up and over the walkways. Marine life exhibits are organized from bays and shores to coral reefs, then midwater creatures and down into the depths. The aquarium does a great job expressing the interconnectedness of all the water we encounter. In a state that relies so heavily on it’s water for recreation and commerce it’s great to know conservation messages are reaching the public of every age!
Today I dove in their guest shark experience to spend some time beside the fish observing humans rather than vice versa. Waving at kids from behind the glass and watching their eyes light up was heartwarming. I could have stayed all day posing for photos with families, blowing bubble rings, and playing rock paper scissors through the 9 inch glass. I hope all of those kids will remember their aquarium visit as fondly as I look back on mine. Check out these pictures from my visit today. Each is captioned with further details.
Best fishes!
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