Taking the Plunge

Some start out terrified. Others, excited. But after swimming with whale sharks, all are awestruck.

“Grandma, are you nuts?”

When I meet Marci, she seems calm and collected—anything but crazy. But I don’t blame her family for reacting the way they did when she decided to swim with whale sharks— the largest fish species in the world—for her 60th birthday.

Marci and I—along with six other brave souls—are at the Georgia Aquarium for the Journey with the Gentle Giants program. After a brief behind-the-scenes tour and safety orientation, we are all snugly outfitted in wetsuits, booties, gloves, fins, goggles and a breathing apparatus with an oxygen tank (optional for us snorkelers). Then it’s time to jump into a 6.3-million-gallon tank with four whale sharks. These giant creatures are typically 40 feet long and 3,500 pounds (male) or 5,000 pounds (female).

The swim is a slow, 30-minute lap around the Ocean Voyager exhibit. (There’s also a scuba program for those with certification.) Even the most inexperienced snorkeler can get the hang of simultaneously breathing and propelling forward while gawking at the profusion of underwater life. The oversized tank is teeming with creatures, including goliath grouper, two manta rays (the only ones in a US aquarium), hammerhead sharks and pesky schools of smaller fish that Dive Master Liz Mercure warns may nibble on our hair.

But the massive whale sharks steal the show. These filter-feeding fish swim close to Journey with Gentle Giants is the only opportunity in the world where you are guaranteed to swim with whale sharks. Advanced reservations are required, and the cost ($225/swim; $325/scuba) includes general admission, a T-shirt, certificate and a souvenir photo. www.georgiaaquarium.org

the surface, and it’s common for them to brush up against you. We were instructed in orientation to freeze with our arms and legs outstretched when that happens. Panic sets in when two of them pass by inches from my face, so I start giving myself pep talks (just keep breathing, look at all the pretty fish, the shark won’t eat me), and my trepidation subsides by the last encounter. Finally, I am able to truly appreciate these creatures for what they really are: beautiful, gentle giants.

Post-swim, I look over at Marci, who flew in all the way from San Francisco for this. She looks refreshed and exhilarated. Grandma knew what she was doing.