Published
10/24/09
Atlantis Resort Lets Guests Get Face-to-Face with Marine Life
(Paradise Island, The Bahamas) – Three new programs at Atlantis, Paradise Island Resort in The Bahamas have been introduced to allow guests to interact with giant manta rays and sea lions, along with the more than 50,000 marine animals.
The first is the “Snorkel with the Mantas” interactive program – about 60 minutes – where up to eight guests at a time can snorkel the Ruins Lagoon, alongside giant manta rays with 10-foot wing spans, zebra sharks, jacks, snappers and hundreds of schools of tropical fish. The Ruins Lagoon is the resort’s largest marine exhibit.
Atlantis is accredited by the renowned Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and offers one of only a few organized and guaranteed manta experiences in the world. It has successfully cared for giant manta rays since 2000, one of only five aquariums in the world to do so. Rates for Snorkel with the Mantas start at $79 per person and participants must be at least 8 years old, with children ages 11 and under accompanied by a participating adult.
Dolphin Cay Atlantis has offered the opportunity to interact with the rescued Katrina Dolphins since 2007, and is now introducing a new program with the resident 10 California Sea Lions also displaced by the catastrophic hurricane.
The new Sea Lion Interaction program offers face-to-face moments with the playful and curious sea lions, and an in-water interactive experience in a private pool at their state-of-the-art home in Dolphin Cay. Guests of all ages learn the basics of animal care, including food preparation, and visit the on-site marine mammal animal hospital and rescue center – the largest in The Caribbean.
Participants of all ages are invited to join the animals in their habitat, with prices starting at $79 per person.
There is also the Aquarist for a Day program, which was designed for guests who want a hands-on experience under the guidance of Atlantis’ expert marine aquarists. In addition to snorkeling with the mantas in the Ruins Lagoon, up to 12 participants daily learn first-hand the work required to maintain the world’s largest open-air marine habitat, including:
Preparing restaurant quality seafood for fish feedings. Performing water quality tests for the 14 exhibit lagoons, home to 250 species of marine animals. Hand-feeding a large collection of Cownose stingrays. Visiting and working in the Bahamas’ only fish hospital, caring for newborns as well as rescued sea life. Prices for Aquarist for a Day start at $179 per person.
Advance reservations are recommended for all of the marine life interaction programs at Atlantis.
Atlantis, Paradise Island is a unique, ocean-themed destination located on Paradise Island, The Bahamas, and features a variety of accommodations, all built around a 140-acre waterscape comprised of over 20 million gallons of fresh and saltwater lagoons, pools and habitats. Home to the largest open-air marine habitat in the world, there are over 50,000 marine animals in lagoons and displays, including The Dig, a maze of underwater corridors and passageways providing a journey through ancient Atlantis.
For further information about Atlantis, Paradise Island; telephone 954-809-2000, or visit Atlantis.com. For reservations, call your travel agent or 800-ATLANTIS. |