SCUBA Diving in Shanghai: The Shark Tank at Changfeng Ocean World

When Nichols and I booked the dive with sharks, I barely thought about exactly how the afternoon would go: Big Blue had assured us that I did not need SCUBA certification in order to do the dive and I was too excited to think about the details.

Cut to the “shark tank” at Chengfeng Ocean World, an aquarium park in Putuo District: We've sufficiently contorted ourselves into our wetsuits. We're standing in a metre deep tank with huge stingrays cruising around the bottom like cutthroats stealthily lurking in an alley. The instructor puts air tanks on our backs. Some guy in a bright pink shirt warns us that their 30+ sharks are aggressive and that we ought to watch the instructor closely – We stare hard at him trying to figure out if he is joking or not.

The instructor takes us through a gate at the side and asks us to put on our flippers and goggles. He tests the air flow on our equipment and hands us the mouthpieces. Then, he says ‘OK, go'…

An American girl named Julie had booked the same slot as us and, like me, she had had no previous diving experience. She and I looked at the instructor. “How do we breathe? What do we do?” We were utterly clueless as to how to proceed.

Nichols was fine. He had completed a SCUBA course in Malaysia previously. For him it was simply a matter of swimming out into the tank and beginning to explore. I saw him a few times happily swimming alongside turtles, zipping about here and there amongst the brightly coloured fish, and even getting up close to the sharks. I was very jealous.

For Julie and I much of the 30 minutes or so that we spent in the tank were taken up with learning how to breathe and how to move through the water with a tank on your back and unwieldy flippers on your feet. For the first few minutes I could barely get down 30 cm under the surface – I just couldn't find a comfortable rhythm for my breath when I was also wondering what exactly was lurking beneath me. I was trying to stay calm and channel Jerry Seinfeld : “Don't die, don't die, don't die, don't die, there's a fish, there's a rock. Who cares? Don't die. I don't wanna die. Don't let me die, let's swim and breathe and live. Because living is good and dying... not as good.” My thoughts actually ran along the lines of ‘Be calm…..breathe….in out…in out….everything is fine….in out….Don't die…%*$#%!!! Shark!!'

However, saying all that, I had the most fantastic time. Once I got used to the diving equipment and could relax and take in more of my surroundings, the sight of sharks, turtles, goggle-eyed fish, and some seriously freaky eels up close was exhilarating. It was worth the money and I'd do it again. Later that night I still felt lightheaded and on top of the world – like I'd smoked a bottle of champagne and drunk an entire joint.

Nichols's Point of View
Unlike Leah, I have been diving several times before and found aquarium diving very different from diving in the sea. First of all, no current or changes in water temperature. Also, Ocean World's circular tank, only 5 meters deep and 15 meters in diameter, felt small compared to open waters. You constantly have to make turns if you want to keep moving. I found that I enjoyed resting at the bottom of the tank as sharks, fish, eels and turtles flew over my head. And that's the other thing…you don't have to go looking for wildlife. The shark tank is full of creatures and you can get incredibly close.

The shark tank also has one of those underwater viewing tubes so aquarium-goers get an underwater point-of-view. It was a lot fun swimming over this and looking down at spectators as they waved and took pictures. I'm sure I've made it into a few tourists' photo albums.

My only concern was that they allowed non-certified divers to make the dive. Dealing with that equipment for the first time is a little daunting and even a quick 10 minute tutorial in broken English (though not ideal) would have been very beneficial for the safety and enjoyment of non-experienced divers. But overall, it was a fantastic, unique experience. And the famous street food just outside Changfeng Park (on Zaoyang Road) cured my post-swimming munchies.

More Info
This dive costs 800RMB (with a 10% discount on couples/groups) which includes basic entrance to Ocean World. If you are interested in making this dive, contact Big Blue, Shanghai's only PADI-certified diving club and instruction center.

Changfeng Ocean World ( 长风海洋世界 ) is located in Changfeng Park ( 长 风公园 ). It's famous for its Beluga Whale shows.