Remember me
mentioning my deep and abiding interest in sharks?
Last Saturday whilst still in the Bay area, we went to the one place (I know of) that has successfully kept Great Whites in captivity (for a short amounts of time) and wouldn't you know it, they just happened to have one right now...
The
Monterey Bay Aquarium, also known for appearing in Star Trek IV, is one of the premiere aquariums in the country, nay, the world. I have heard about this place for some time now and have very much wanted to visit it. In fact, Monterey was supposed to be our honeymoon destination until I realized we should go to Mexico and just relax. But now all is good in the universe: I have seen a Great White Shark with my own eyes.
Here is my picture of him. I spent a very long time snapping pictures but this was as good as it got. He likes to cruise up near the surface of the tank, waiting for tasty salmon fillets:
Here's the professional picture of him that you can download off their website:
The website for the Great White Shark is fantastic to get some facts about him. He was accidentally snagged by a fishing line but still in good shape. They are rehabilitating and studying him in the meantime and intend to release him soon. They grow to be quite large and eat a lot so they don't really want to keep him indefinitely.
Their entire facility is perfect for gazing at the fishes and learning all about sea life. They also had otters, frogs, snakes and other animals whose daily existence depends on the watery world. Instrumental ambient music plays over the sound system as you gaze into the tanks. It's not only wondrous but relaxing at the same time. And they have the cleanest aquarium windows I've ever seen---the pics really look clear because of that. But I just don't understand why some people insist on taking flash photos against glass into a darkened aquarium. Luckily this Canon Power Shot SD800IS has an aquarium setting that slows the shutter down and changes the color balance a little. Some of the photos have been given some Photoshop help to remove odd reflections or to bring in a wee bit of color but, for the most part, the camera did a good job.
