Shark reef?

[dislover8943]

Can anyone tell me anything about te shark reef thing at typhoon lagoon? What is? How old do you have to be? Cost? Thank you in advance. My DS6 is obsessed with sharks. He would love to see them in person.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

There are two parts to Shark Reef.

One is the surface snorkel. There is no charge for the mask and snorkel, or for a "shorty wet suit" (which may be needed as the water in SR is cold). You line up and go through once. Kicking is not allowed. Then you can go around and get in line again.

The other side is the "surface scuba" where you pay $20 for a tank that has about 30 minutes of air in it and you can wander around on that side of the reef as long as you want, or until the air gives out, whichever is first.

Anyone under 10 must be accompanied by an adult.

And the way you can tell if a shark is a Nurse Shark: It will give out band-aids.

 

[Plan Man]

We did the shark reef quite a few years ago and it was fun. I don't remember an age cutoff. If I remember correctly, you need to put a life jacket on and they give you a snorkel. They have you shower off and then you go in the pool at one end and make your way to the other end. The water was cold.

They give some sort of tutorial too - it is ultra safe.

 

[DOOM1001]

One side is free where they give you snorkel gear and a life vest and you basically swim across the reef to the other side staying near the surface,the small sharks and fish usually stay near the bottom.The water is cold(around 67 degrees) so it might come as a shock when you first get in,if it's a warm or hot day it actually feels pretty good once you get in but no doubt that it's cold.There's another side that's an upcharge where you wear scuba type gear and it's probably a longer experience than just swimming across.There's a submarine looking room between both sides that has windows for spectators to look at the people and sharks.It's a cool little attraction,I remember the sharks in the upcharge side being a bit bigger but still not very big.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

My 6 year old didn't get along well with the snorkel, so she took her mask off and just drifted out there. Still had a great time. There's also a viewing area above and below the water for another view of the sharks and other fish. As mentioned, there's no charge for snorkeling

 

[nkereina]

I'm 26 and had a tough time with the snorkel mask. So did my fiance. And I kind of panicked, not being able to kick. I did not enjoy it. But I did see kids out there and successful at it so it was probably just me!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I'm 45 and I didn't do the best either. The cold water kind of made me gasp for air, plus it felt very unnatural breathing through my mouth. My 12 year old was an instant pro and made fools of us all. I think she did that attraction close to a dozen times (we went to TL twice).

 

[amym2]

We did it with DD last year when she was 8 and she enjoyed it. It took her a few minutes to practice breathing with the snorkel, but once we got out there she did fine. I held her hand the whole time and she basically just floated as I pulled her along (so she wouldn't kick). The part she didn't like was that the chemicals they use to clean the masks make your skin sting once you take them off. She complained for about 30min after (I felt it, too).

DS11 didn't want to snorkel (he thought we were crazy to swim with sharks) so he just watched from the bridge.

 

[bleeps]

We did the free, surface snorkel and loved it. All you have to do is exactly what they tell you to do in terms of using the snorkel successfully. Yes, the water is cold but it felt great once you got all the way in. A very peaceful experience, and really wonderful to be swimming with the various (safe, but still thrilling) aquatic life. Highly recommended!

 

[dislover8943]

That sounds awesome! Thank you everyone for your responses. Do you think there is enough stuff to do there for a 19 month old 3 yr old and 6yr old? Just looking for opinions? Thanks

 

[nkereina]

The part she didn't like was that the chemicals they use to clean the masks make your skin sting once you take them off. She complained for about 30min after (I felt it, too)

YES! I felt like my face was on fire! I tried everything and couldn't get the stinging to go away. I have sensitive skin to begin with but it was awful. I went to the bathroom and washed my face three times and it just killed!

 

[natebenma]

They let my son use his own goggles in shark reef, which really surprised me because they really don't know where they have been.

Here is the portion of my TR describing our visit to Shark Reef in July 2010:



Our next destination was Shark Reef.

I love, love, love snorkeling! Ben hasn’t quite caught onto snorkeling, but he was able to use his goggles in the pool.

I crack up when people warn you about how cold the water is in Shark Reef at Typhoon Lagoon. 70 degress?!? HA! I’m from New England where ocean temps in the high 60’s are downright enjoyable!

Ben was so excited when we exited. “Mom, Mom, I saw a hidden Mickey in the water!” When I was reviewing my photos, I saw that I accidentally almost got a picture of it.

 

[dislover8943]

Nice pictures! Thank you

 

[Conan the Librarian]

You will be totally wasting your time with the free part.

Pay the extra (with a discount for DVC or Annual pass, we can't remember which) and do the scuba.

Yes, the water is cold, but, if the air is warm (this is Florida), you will warm back up quick.

We've been Scuba'ing the Shark Reef now for a number of years. Actually it's my favorite part of TL.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

That sounds awesome! Thank you everyone for your responses. Do you think there is enough stuff to do there for a 19 month old 3 yr old and 6yr old? Just looking for opinions? Thanks

I can't speak for the younger ones, but we spent a day and a half at Typhoon Lagoon AND a day and a half at Blizzard Beach and that wasn't enough as far as my 6 year old was concerned

 

[waltdisneymama]

As someone else said, they will allow goggles to be worn in the pool if the snorkel mask isn't a great fit, so my advice is to have the goggles with you just in case this happens. I had to go back to our towel spot to get the goggles. My 8-year-old kept getting water in the snorkel mask when she tried it, not a good fit. The goggles worked well. (Her snorkel mask at Discovery Cove worked great, though

 

[Spacepest]

You will be totally wasting your time with the free part.

Pay the extra (with a discount for DVC or Annual pass, we can't remember which) and do the scuba.

Agreed. I did the short free part and it took me longer to put the snorkel gear on that it did to swim through the tank. Plus the CMs at the time were harassing anyone who wanted to swim slowly, and you know, actually look at the fish. Gawd forbid you spend more than two minutes in the free pool!

And for some reason, a parrot fish kept following me around and attacking my swim mask. Watching a tiny parrot fish try to attack my face (behind the safety of a mask) was hilarious.

 

[LittlePoca]

As some others have said, the masks aren't always a great fit. Make sure you check it thoroughly before you set off.

The first time I went, I had no problem, did great and loved it.
The second time, the CM was harassing us to be quick about checking out our snorkel gear, so feeling confident from the last time, I popped my head under the water, took a breath, and then popped back up.
Then we set off, and immediately water started flooding into my mask (touching my eyelashes - what a bizarre feeling!) so I panicked. That mixed with the cold water then made me feel like I was gasping for breath and I had to stop to put my head above the water, empty my mask and catch my breath several times.
Needles to say I did not enjoy that time haha!

So yeah, long story short, don't let them make you feel rushed. Check the goggles properly and make sure both you and your little one feel comfortable using the snorkel.

Then it will be great!

 

[grwrn]

Pics were helpful and even confirming my choice of going to TL for the Shark Reef experience.

 

[disney2014plan]

My family love, love, loved this part of TL.

You have a snorkel and mask and make your way across the pool by using your arms (they ask you not to kick); you can hold hands with your partner child if you like. If you like somewhere near the sea you might want to get your child used to a snorkel- it doesn't take long ( I say the sea as in the UK they don't like you using them in swimming pools).