Have you ever gazed into the glass panels of the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo longed to dive with the sharks and exotic fish? Diving opportunities in the zoo and aquarium industry are becoming more available to the public than ever before. Now you, too, can take a giant stride behind the glass and encounter creatures firsthand from the far reaches of the oceans.

The Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo is home to over 20,000 fish and 90 sharks including tawny nurse sharks, sand tiger sharks, black and white-tip reef sharks, grey reef sharks, leopard sharks and wobbegong sharks.

If those figures don’t make you go running for the top of the Burj Khalifa then maybe you’re the perfect candidate for a date with the ultimate predators of the deep. 

​What do you need? While you don’t necessarily need to have your PADI certification, it’s certainly the cheapest option. Al Boom Diving – the company running the scuba sessions – lets you dive without any qualifications or experience, but you must complete basic instruction in a pool before entering the shark tank.

Essential things to bring include an underwater camera, or at least a friend who will take photos of you from outside the tank. You’ll also need your swimsuit and a towel. The Al Boom team will provide the rest of your diving equipment. Other than that, you’ll want your game face on. After all, you’re about to come face to face with some seriously scary predators...

Who goes? The Al Boom diving team welcomes a wide range of people, from tourists ready to take on one of the world’s largest aquariums to residents looking for their next adventure. Since April 2013, people can even get PADI certified at Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo too.
 
What happens? First you’ll be asked to sign a waiver form. It’s less about promising not to sue them should you lose a limb and more about acknowledging the dangers involved. After this, you’ll get a briefing about sharks.

Did you know that more people die from toaster-related injuries than from shark attacks? No. Me neither. In fact, a lot of shark myths are exposed during the briefing, which helps to put my mind at ease.  We also learn about scuba diving etiquette: always follow in line; always remain at the same level as your instructors; never stray and try not to exhale beneath a shark – the bubbles can affect their breathing pattern and cause them to react without warning.

Then it’s time to suit up. It’s chilly in the water and remains at roughly 27 degrees so we’re given pretty thick wetsuits to wear. We then make our way to the top of the aquarium. After adjusting weights, setting up our BCD’s and popping on our fins we begin the descent to the aquarium floor. The aquarium is roughly 11 metres deep and as soon as you reach the bottom, the feeling is overwhelming. Tourists line the front of the aquarium taking photos and I wave at the toddlers and families passing by. I finally know what it’s like to literally be in a fish bowl, and I assume it’s just how celebrities must feel. I decide to lap up my 40 minutes of stardom and pose for as many photos as I can.

As we kneel on the ground the species of fish surrounding me is staggering. Swimming along the aquarium bed is a metre-long leopard shark; above me, cow rays play in my exhaled bubbles; in front of me, a giant ray flies towards us at pace before darting up and over our heads. It’s astonishing and I’m almost holding my breath.

As we follow one by one up and along the aquarium we finally arrive into shark territory. While the aquarium obviously is an open space, the sharks seem to congregate in the darker areas of the tank and this is where we meet the infamous sand tiger shark. For the most part, the sharks appear disinterested in the human interlopers, but nothing quite prepares you for coming face to face with a huge sand tiger shark. My eyes widen and my heart starts to throb and I keep my arms tight around me. He’s huge, has hundreds of sharp teeth and the look in his eyes seems to suggest I’m dinner.

But as soon as he passes, the fear subsides and instead you become no longer terrified, just simply fascinated at all the wildlife around you. And, after the quickest 40 minutes of your life, the dive masters will guide you back to the surface after an unforgettable underwater odyssey.

How much of my life will this take up? If you’re already PADI certified, then the entire experience takes place in less than two hours. The briefing and suiting up takes approximately one hour and then you’re underwater for a maximum of 40 minutes.

How much does it cost? A certified diver experience costs Dhs.675

A Discover Scuba Dive (including training in swimming pool at the Al Boom dive centre) is Dhs.875

A Discover Scuba Dive (including training completed in aquarium cage) is Dhs.1,090

A Shark Walker experience (including submerging more than two metres in a shark cage, while breathing naturally in a custom made helmet) is Dhs.590.

PADI Scuba Diver course (for non-certified divers who want to get their licence) is Dhs.2,095

In Short: Perfectly controlled dive conditions and the opportunity to encounter species that may never be seen in the wild. It’s an exhilarating and magical experience that should be on everyone’s bucket list.