Pose for a very unique holiday photo with Santa Claus in The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk as Santa dons scuba gear to swim among 7- and 8-foot sharks on select days in December.
Three days each week, “Shark-Diving Santa” presentations have Santa squeezing into his custom dive outfit and entering the Aquarium’s 110,000-gallon “Ocean Beyond the Sound” exhibit, which is home to eight large sand tiger and lemon sharks. During each dive, he will swim up to the exhibit window and pose with guests, so bring your camera for a “picture with Santa” that’s available only at The Maritime Aquarium.
Santa is expected to participate in dives at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Jan. 2. (There are no dives Dec. 24 and 25.) All the dives are free with Aquarium admission.
"Shark-Diving Santa” is sponsored by Peoples United Bank.
The Santa dives are part of a frequent Aquarium program that seeks to correct common misperceptions about sharks, as the divers demonstrate how sharks do not see humans as prey. Or, as Santa, says, “Sharks aren’t naughty; they’re nice!”
Check the Aquarium’s website – www.maritimeaquarium.org – to confirm the dates when Santa can pull himself away from the North Pole and exchange his snow boots for swim fins.