TL: Snorkling with sharks?? About This Page:

[cinderellamom]

We are planning to do 1 day at TL with 6 & 12 yr old. The 6 yr old is very good with snorkle and mask in pool but not a fantastic swimmer overall. Will he be able to do the snorkling with sharks? How deep are we talking? He really wants to do this! Any help appreciated! 12 days and counting!

[joyjoy]

This is terrific fun and if your little one is okay with a snorkel, s(he) should be fine. It's quite deep - you can't touch the bottom nor are you allowed to. They give you a vest that makes you float along the top and you are told to not even kick your legs - you propel yourself using arms only. So really you're just kind of floating along the top looking down at all the fish. It's really cool. Speaking of cool - be prepared, the water is cold. We did it in October, so that may not even matter for y'all. My tip is to try to not think about the swimming part - think about the viewing part. If you are concentrating on getting to the other side, you'll miss everything. You have to keep moving, no stopping allowed, but I tried really hard to move v e r y s l o w l y. Have fun! This is my favorite thing to do at TL.

[angelina]

First of all, how do you describe a "strong swimmer"? Has your child had swimming lessons, can they do the front crawl or breaststroke, can they tread water? If your child is not a strong swimmer, they should not go in Shark Reef. If your child cannot tread water they would not be able to handle Shark Reef. Being comfortable with a snorkel doesn't mean they are ready for Shark Reef. They have to be comfortable swimming. I am a former lifegaurd and swimming teacher so I feel pretty comfortable giving adivce about this attraction. Shark Reef is about 10-15 feet deep, and there is no side to hang on to like in a pool. Also, as mentioned you are not allowed to kick your feet, which means you must rely only on your arms to get you across to the other side. And the vest they give you is not a floatation device. It is more like a wet suit, used to keep you a little warmer in the very cold water. Besides the fact that is very deep there are other things to think about. You are swimming with actual sharks. While they are almost definitely not going to hurt you, just seeing them might scare some kids and therefore affect their swimming. Also the water is cold, which can make even a good swimmer uncomfortable. I love shark reef, but I really do not think it is an attraction for children. But your child doesn't have to miss out on the fun. There is an underwater viewing area, I took my daughter down there and she loved it. I do not mean to sound harsh, but a bad experience here would probably ruin your day, and would maybe even make your child permanately afraid of the water.

[RobinKay6573]

I am pretty sure that you have to be over 10 to swim in the shark reef. You might want to call TL and check (you would not want to get your child's hopes up).

[HiddenMickey]

Robin.... that is incorrect. You may have to be older to do the "scuba swim" but just about anyone can do the Shark Reef snorkle swim. My 4 year old daughter and 6 year old son did it with me in 1999 and have done it since them a couple times. The four year old (though a good swimmer) felt too cold and ended up hanging onto my back to cross the tank, while the six year old swam just fine by himself next to his father.



-HiddenMickey

[RobinKay6573]

I read it on a couple of differant websites:

Shark Reef allows guests, at least ten years of age or older, the opportunity to experience snorkeling with the likes of sharks and tropical fish. Snorkel equipment is provided free of charge. If snorkeling in the reef is not your style, non-swimming guests can view the swimmers and fish through the portholes of a sunken tanker, for this is what the reef is built around.

http://www.disneytrips.com/beyond/typhoon_lagoon.shtml

http://www.disney-world-hotels.com/typhoon-lagoon.htm

http://www.disneytrips.com/parks/heights.shtml

The retrictions might have changed since 1999 which was 5 years ago...it is always good to check and make sure. It is possible that if an adult is present a child under 10 is allowed to swim the reef.