Over The Shark Tank

Visiting an aquarium is one of the coolest experiences a person could ever possibly do. The ever so forcefully ice cold air blowing on your face as soon as you open the twenty five foot tall door to buy an overly priced visitors ticket. Then comes along with the aroma of sticky sea water and the goopy green kelp. At last, finally inside to watch old fish and sharks swim around and to find that one abnormal tiny glass poster of the information on that one fish watching your every move you take around him. Something about watching sharks and touching strange squishy marine animals, brings a spark in visitors eyes like nothing you have ever seen before. Especially while watching the sharks. As the Great White swims by, all that can be heard is high noted screaming from young children, grabbing on to their parents, and older adults, softly pointing with an awe of amazement that they are actually this close to a Great White shark. But, have they ever pictured themselves face to face with a shark on top of the greatly huge four million gallon tank while walking on a narrow gray plastic, holy plank while feeding a sea turtle? Oh, not to mention, without knowing how to swim either? Now, that would be something to watch on Fear Factor.

Waking up by my newly washed apricot poodle at six in the morning is not something you look forward to on a foggy cold morning. Getting out of bed was the hardest to do out of all the Tuesdays during the summer while visiting my family in tiny Monterey, California. It was always going to be the best day on Tuesdays during the entire summer. Volunteering with a bunch of old, open minded and some teenagers who were occasionally snotty, was something I’ve looked forward to every week. As I walked across my pale white room, with the sparkly chandelier in the middle of the room, in my navy blue American Eagle polo and my dull as can be khaki pants I looked at the long closet mirror. Had to look over how my plain uniform looked and practiced my speaking skills to talk to the thousand or so people I was going to see and speak to that day, and of course the little ball of apricot fur, poodle was right next to me during the entire moment of talking to myself while walking down the long echoic hallway filled with pictures of my Dad, Uncle Tony and of myself on every side of the tall white walls. Every step got louder and louder as I got closer to the kitchen where my Grandmother was waiting to say good-bye to me and to catch the little apricot fur ball from getting out of the gate as I drove off the two acre of fruit filled land they lived on.

I loved driving really early in the morning in Monterey. The crisp air with the misty touch to it felt amazing. With the windows down and my black D&G sunglasses on in my old white squeaky pick up truck, I felt pretty hardcore. No one my age would ever volunteer to get up this early and to wear a bland uniform to talk about the oceans animals. My generation living in Monterey took the ocean for granite. They don’t realize that most people do not get to live near an ocean nor see an ocean in their entire lives. Driving next to the ocean was always an awe moment and brought a sparkle to my eye every time I drove next to the big blue ocean. Even while on shift, visitors would catch me glaring at the ocean and ask if I was doing okay with an odd face. The only thing was there was never any parking within two blocks from the ocean that was free parking. I had to park five blocks away over at my Aunt Nadine’s house. The great thing about Monterey is that the street blocks were really small and you can walk really anywhere.

Walking down the almost ninety degree angled hill with the cold mist blowing on my face felt like the touch of brand new sanded down wood. I couldn’t wait to get down the hill and into the shift room to have our morning meet-up and to get the latest gossip and to quickly learn about any new exotic animals researchers have found within the last week. As I finally walked in the both doors I did not pay any attention to the wall décor of clown fish and kelp on the hallway walls, I walked fast into the lounge and had my greeting to all of my co-workers with smiles on their faces. I knew at that moment something different was going to happen this morning.

The volunteer director Dan came walking in settling everyone down. He said today was going to be an exciting day because we had a rare learning field trip, instead of the regular PowerPoint and videos he usually shows us. Everyone was excited and jumped out of their chairs and walked with pride with either a bright red jacket full of achievement pins or like me with a navy blue apron and a name badge. People on the streets stared at us as all twenty eight of us short and tall volunteers walked across the street and entered into a door strictly labeled “EMPLOYEES ONLY”. We all whispered to one another “I feel so special and important!”. Dan refused to tell us what we all were doing and going to. I had a feeling we were going to the top of something as soon as we climbed the small circler gray steps that were going upstairs to a dull green door. Shaking with excitement Dan finally opened the dull green door and what came to eye first was the large amount of water I was going to come face to face with.

We all walked softly and slowly on the gray hole like plank that felt like it could hold only a few peoples weight. As I looked around the large lighted room I saw many tubes and machines working this exhibit. I could not figure out where we were. Then out of no where, the Great White shark, they newly put on exhibit, came up and stared at all of us and swam with his fin out of the water. Everyone gasped and a roar of amazement over came everyone all at once. Dan said the shark could feel the emotion we all were having and would go to the one with the most fear out of everyone. Of all people it started to swim closer and closer to me standing on the hole like plank with a deathly face as if I had just seen a ghost or a murder between my eyes.

The volunteers and I were standing shoulder to shoulder on the plank just watching in silence the four million gallons of water with just about one hundred fish, sharks and the sea turtle combined. As Dan was giving our morning lesson, I just looked around and took every single thing in, even up to the machine that brings the researchers out in the middle to feed all the fish in the tank. Before we left we were free to explore the top half of the tank freely. As I looked to my left I saw a biologist getting ready to feed the old sea turtle. As she saw me with amazement in my eyes she asked if I wanted to help feed the sea turtle. Of course I go ahead and squeal with excitement and walk her way. Sticky lettuce was on the menu today, and as I handed the lettuce slowly down to the sea turtle a shark was swimming my way to probably munch on my nice fat little hand. Luckily it did not like the fact I was touching sticky lettuce so it swam away. Before it was time to go on shift I took one last look around and Dan said to me I was most likely the youngest person who has ever been on top of the entire shark exhibit and that was something I was extremely proud about.

During my entire four hour shift all I could think about was how I got to go on top of the shark tank. At the shark exhibit I had a dozen or so different people from all over the world listen to me, at the time, a fifteen year old girl, tell an amazing story of how I got to go on top of the shark tank that morning. Four year old Korean and Italian children asking questions of what it looked like and if I found Nemo. Most likely a moment I will cherish forever.