Newport Aquarium PHOTO BY ERNEST COLEMAN
Scuba Santa swimming with sharks may be a relatively new Christmas tradition but it is remarkably widespread. From the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky; to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston; to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, WA. There are also Scuba Santas at the Holland Aquatic Center, in Holland, Michigan; and the Tennessee Aquarium, in Chattanooga, TN. Then there is the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ; Oklahoma Aquarium, in Tulsa Oklahoma; the Virginia Aquarium, in Virginia Beach, Virgina; and the South Texas Aquarium, Corpus Christi – all with Scuba Santas. Not all Scuba Santas swim in aquarium tanks. Here are Scuba Santas diving California’s Channel Islands and in Florida’s Keys. Scuba Santas also make appearances Sports Chalet dive shops at locations throughout California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah.
The phenomenon is not limited to the United State. The Scuba Santa at the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium in Pudong, China sends an environemtnal message about saving endangered sharks. The Oceanarium in St. Petersburg, Russia also features a Scuba Santa as does the Underwater World in Mooloolaba, on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia.
I wonder how you say, “Ho, Ho, Ho” underwater.