Diving at the Living Seas

[DizneyKrazed]

For our next trip I have a reservation to do the diving experience at the Living Seas in Epcot. Has anyone done this tour before? What did you think? Any information would be great.

 

[stingfancb]

my son has done this 3 times and loves it - he usually dives in the ocean off Palm Beach, FL and would do this every weekend if he could - loves interacting with the other guests and how easy they make it

 

[Skroops]

No, I haven't done it, but I enjoy watching the divers while eating at the Coral Reef! Is that the same area you will dive? I've always wanted to do that. Have a great time!

 

[DizneyKrazed]

Yes, I will be diving in the same tank that makes up one of the walls of the resturaunt. I am so excited to do this tour. I hope I don't chicken out...with the sharks and all...

 

[bobbiwoz]

I'm not a diver, but I've done the Seas Epcot, with the snorkel-like equipment, and it was a wonderful experience. I hope to do it again.

Bobbi

 

[kruegeme]

It's a great program. In normal Disney fashion, they do a fantastic job. No worries about the sharks. Only regret was I didn't spend much time around the Coral Reef windows.

 

[disnut8]

I gave Dive Quest to my dad for his 70th birthday *gasp* five years ago. My stepmother went with him. Both are very veteran divers. It's fantastic.

You will get a controlled dive for about 25 minutes and then let loose with a dive buddy for another 25 minutes. Don't worry about the sharks. They just swim by you. My dad and stepmother have dived all over the world and they keep talking about how great the Disney experience was. If you have family with you, make sure they are in the viewing area. They will be able to be featured on the dive video. And make sure you get the video. It's a great way to re-live the experience.

The people in the normal viewing area really get a kick out of seeing the divers in the water. We were there just watching and when the guests realized we were tracking my dad and stepmother, actually treated us like royalty because we knew people in the water. I think I had more fun than the divers!

One note - if you do have family and they will be meeting you after the dive, don't follow the recommendation of having them wait for you in the gift shop. We waited for well over a half hour because of the after dive debriefing. Make plans to meet somewhere else in a certain time frame. Frees up your family quite a bit after the dive is over.

Oh - and save your receipt. You can write it off on your taxes since all proceeds go to animal research and it's a charitable cause.

 

[DizneyKrazed]

Thanks everyone for all the great info!

Another family member of mine wants to do the Dive Quest but does not have scuba certification. Does anyone know anything about the other tour, the one where you do not need certification?

 

[Cameo]

Didn't know that about the animal research aspect. That's nice.

My DH did this 9 years ago. How do I know that? I was pregnant with my DD8 at the time and we have it on the video where he is "patting" my tummy through the glass. It's a great memory.

He had great fun doing it and would love to do it again, but alas, now we have two kids and our money goes to things like Alice's Tea Party and Kids' Cooking Class at the Grand Floridian!!

 

[diswedwish]

The other tour, the one that doesn't require certification is the Epcot Seas Aqua Tour (or something like that). I did that last November and it was great It's "Scuba assisted snorkel" so you get the air tank, but you don't go below the surface. The only snorkel experience I'd had prior was at TL at Shark Reef, and I didn't have trouble. It's a lot of fun, you go in the same area as DiveQuest, only just at the surface. If I remember correctly, they walk you through the Living Seas and answer any questions, we got to see the manatees and a bit of the dolphins, then we watched a brief video, and got to actually be in the water for 30 min. I got a picture, t-shirt and soda. There were only 2 of us on the tour that day, so it was enjoyable to ask as many questions as I wanted. It was included in the Plan I was on, otherwise I think it's $100. HTH