Typhoon Lagoon and Shark Reef

[ceemys]

We are going to TL and are wanting to do the Shark Reef.

-Does anyone know if the shark reef is deep? My 5 y/o cannot swim yet, so if it is over her head, then obviously she can't do it.
-Is it worth to pay the extra $10 or $20 for the scuba gear if you have never been diving before? (especially with a 5 y/o and 13 y/o)
-How fast to they push you through?
-If it is too deep, can 13 y/o's go by themselves?
--Any extra personal experience you can give would be awesome.

Thanks!!

 

[sephorachick]

We are going to TL and are wanting to do the Shark Reef.

-Does anyone know if the shark reef is deep? My 5 y/o cannot swim yet, so if it is over her head, then obviously she can't do it.
-Is it worth to pay the extra $10 or $20 for the scuba gear if you have never been diving before? (especially with a 5 y/o and 13 y/o)
-How fast to they push you through?
-If it is too deep, can 13 y/o's go by themselves?
--Any extra personal experience you can give would be awesome.

Thanks!!

It is deep they give you a vest and snorkel face gear. I did it in 1999 and the gear was included but I guess that changed? I was scared and hyperventilated and I doggy paddled across lol I'm nottttttt a good swimmer at all. I think the 13 yr old would be ok alone.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The water is 12 feet deep.

They do provide "shorty" wet suits and facemasks.

If you are on the free side you go in and swim the length of the reef. You are supposed to do no kicking. when you reach the other side you come out; if you want to do it again you walk back to the entrance side.

On the tank side, you pay $20 for a surface-scuba tank which will last about 30 minutes and you can roam around freely on that side.

 

[ceemys]

It is deep they give you a vest and snorkel face gear. I did it in 1999 and the gear was included but I guess that changed? I was scared and hyperventilated and I doggy paddled across lol I'm nottttttt a good swimmer at all. I think the 13 yr old would be ok alone.

Thanks! The 5 y/o is fine in the water with a vest! I can just tote her along with me. LOL

 

[dansdad]

-Does anyone know if the shark reef is deep?

It was probably 10-12 feet deep. However, you get life jackets, mask and snorkel. I saw 4 and 5 year olds enjoying it.

-Is it worth to pay the extra $10 or $20 for the scuba gear if you have never been diving before? (especially with a 5 y/o and 13 y/o)

We did not do this because we enjoyed it without the extra expense. We did go at a slower time, October, and were able to do 4 and 5 runs back to back.

-How fast to they push you through?

You go at your own pace. BUT they do ask that you not stop moving forward. I pushed off from the one side and coasted all the way across. I did not feel rushed.

-If it is too deep, can 13 y/o's go by themselves?

Yes, my DS10 went multiple times by himself. This was one of the highlights of our trip. We did not know about it before we went down. It was such a cool feeling and such a rush to have a shark swimming about a foot below me. I think we did a total of 20 runs across in our 2 days at TL.

 

[DOOM1001]

There are two sides,the free snorkel side and the scuba side which is an
upcharge.I've only done the free snorkeling side and even though I'm a good swimmer I always get a complimentary life vest and snorkel mask.The water is deep,a good 10-15 feet deep at least.You're asked to stay near the surface,not kick and just swim right to the other side.The sharks and fish generally stay closer to the bottom,one other thing to note is the water is pretty cold,I believe they said like 67 degrees.

 

[Mirax]

Smile you are going to Disney! Already Answered.

 

[MomToPirate&Princess]

DD7 and DS9 are strong swimmers, but we put life jackets on them anyway just to help them float easily across and let them enjoy it without having to concentrate on the swimming part. They had never used snorkles before so that was a little weird and the water was very cold. DD7 kind of freaked out from the cold and the fish swimming around. DH helped her along and then a friendly lifeguard ended up pulling her across the pool on her lifeguard float. DS did it several times, but after the first try with the snorkel decided to use his regular goggles and that worked much better for him. There's a little bridge so I was able to watch and take pictures.

 

[ceemys]

Thank y'all so much!!
We are super excited!!

 

[MK2010]

We are going in Sept. and can't wait to do this! Thx. for the info!

 

[CanadianPaco]

Can anyone use the scuba gear or do you have to be trained/certified ?

 

[chartle]

I couple of other issues.

There is no kicking and the water is very, very cold. Compared to the normal Florida weather its like Deadliest Catch cold.

So let your 5 year old know and be prepared for anything going in. Every time I have gone, which is only a few, I have seen youngsters freak out at the edge.

 

[Reddy]

Can anyone use the scuba gear or do you have to be trained/certified ?

no training or certified needed - they do tell you how to use the scub gear - how to read the air pressure & where the line is that you need to head back

when I did it - the kids took off with no problems, the adults took longer to get going. when you look over the edge it is very deep & kinda scared me until I got where I trusted the vest that keeps you on top of the water

 

[chartle]

Can anyone use the scuba gear or do you have to be trained/certified ?

Also its not scuba but surface snorkeling, so you still have to stay on the surface. Its just with this you stay in until your air runs out. I have heard 20 to 30 minutes or so depending on your size.

 

[CanadianPaco]

The OP mentioned $10 or $20 for this rental. What is the price? Do you pay right there or at the entrance? Can you use your KTTW to charge?

 

[dansdad]

From All Ears.

For those who want to spend a little more time "swimming with the fishes," Shark Reef now offers a longer program called the S.A.S. Adventure. It's a chance to learn Surface Air Snorkeling, involves using a "pony" tank and a small regulator as in SCUBA diving, as well as a buoyancy vest. There is an instructional overview and then you may spend a half-hour snorkeling. The fee is $20 per half-hour. Participants must be at least 5 years old. To sign up for the S.A.S. Adventure, and for more information, visit the kiosk near the entrance of Shark Reef.

I do not know the payment options. But I am pretty sure they make it as easy as possible.

 

[CanadianPaco]

Perfect! Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for posting

 

[dmband]

the water is very, very cold. Compared to the normal Florida weather its like Deadliest Catch cold.
.

Truth
It was freezing, a few people who got in with me got out it was that cold

 

[Brave teacher]

We did this a couple of years ago. My oldest was 7 at the time and wanted to do it. He got all the way to the edge of the reef and refused to do it. First, the water was too cold. Let me tell you...I felt like it had sucked all the air out of me. I was freezing. Second, he did not feel comfortable with the depth of the water. My DH took him to watch me and a friend of ours' DS go across. I swam across that pool as fast as my hands could propel me from my side...no kicking or splashing allowed.

It's not something I am rushing to do again.

 

[PoohsFan1]

Thanks for all the replies...I too was thinking about doing this on our next trip. My DD11 said she would do it with me, but DD8 said "No way, no how" (she is not as adventurous as the 11 year old), while DH doesn't care one way or another if he does it or not. It sounds really cool and something I would enjoy, just not sure if it is something DD11 would do once she sees it in person (she is excited to do it with mom though), she hates cold water and I think she would be freaked out by the depth of the pool (if her feet don't touch she freaks). I guess we will check it out once we get there and if it is something she would still like to do then , if not then I may be doing it by myself .