Leon Stafford, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 11 Apr 08;
"It parallels with the green movement. People are looking for an authentic experience."
The Georgia Aquarium is branching out from its borders in downtown Atlanta.
Way out.
The big fish tank is trying an annual "whale shark experience" trip that will have participants diving with the whale sharks at the aquarium one day and swimming with them in sunny Mexico the next.
The five-day trip, which includes five-star accommodations at hotels like the Ritz-Carlton, costs $3,170.
The move is the aquarium's attempt to improve knowledge about the gentle giants, raise funds for research and get in on the eco-tourism craze.
Neville Bhoda, spokesman for the Southeast Tourism Society, said eco-tourism — vacations that focus on the environment — is the hottest trend in travel.
"It parallels with the green movement," he said. "People are looking for an authentic experience."
The aquarium venture could also bring more people to Atlanta's hotels and restaurants. Hospitality in metro Atlanta is an $11.4 billion industry and the aquarium has, in the last few years, been a major draw.
The "whale shark experience" is the aquarium's second dip into the world of eco-tourism. Officials took a group to South Africa last year for a safari and to swim with dolphins.
This year's trip will start out small — just 10 vacationers — but more will be invited next year if it proves successful.
"If this is successful and everybody has a good time, we could do this every year," said Dave Santucci, an aquarium spokesman.
The trip, planned for Aug. 7-12, begins with a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium. The spaces will be filled on a first-come basis. In addition to swimming or diving with the big fish, participants will hear Bruce Carlson, the aquarium's chief science officer, and Kristie Cobb, aquarium director of development and membership, detail how whale sharks are cared for and what researchers have learned about them.
Then the eco-tourists will travel to two islands just north of Cancun. They will swim with dolphins on Isla Mujeres, and then go on to swim with whale sharks on Isla Holbox.
Along the way, they will learn about efforts to conserve and protect the habitats of the islands' fish. Aquarium researchers have been working off the coast of Mexico since 2004 to study and tag whale sharks as part of Project Domino, a collaboration of Mote Marine Laboratory, Georgia Aquarium and Mexican researchers.
"We are showing people the value of our work and how global it is in scope," Cobb said. We want people to connect with animals in ways that are truly lasting."
Santucci, who went to the Mexican islands with researchers last year, said the trip is unforgettable. He said the whale sharks swim about 2- to-4 miles an hour, which allows swimmers to keep up with them, at least for a little while.
"The bigger they are, the slower they are. I got close to a 30-foot whale shark and was able to keep up with it for about 20 minutes," said Santucci, who added that he swam competitively in high school.
