'Shark Lagoon Night' Educates

By Grester Celis-Acosta

Have you been curious to know what sharks do at night in the seas? Do you wonder if they sleep at night or prowl the ocean for more fish to feast on? Well, the Aquarium of the Pacific can help educate you on sharks and maybe answer some questions you didn’t even know you had.

Since 2004, the Aquarium of the Pacific has offered an event called Shark Lagoon Night, which happens almost every Friday of the year, with the exception of summer, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and is free to the public.

For about 13 years, the aquarium has educated guests on some of the most vicious predators of the sea, which are sharks.

Now while they have other sea creatures at the exhibit like manta rays, stingrays and other small fish, the main attraction are the sharks.

There are about six different types of sharks at the exhibit ranging from large to small.

The bigger size sharks, which can be found inside the main pool, are blacktip reef sharks, whitetip reef shark, sand shark and a zebra shark.

Visitors cans view these creatures from the top of the pool, or if you want to get a better view, visitors can see the predators from the large side windows that give a better view of the entire pool and everything that’s inside it.

Looking at these marvelous predators at night gives the sharks a spooky aura that escapes them because of the minimal visibility you have a night.

Along with the sharks in the main pool, attendees will also find manta rays. For the most part, the manta rays at night aren’t very lively and tend to just lie at the bottom of the pool, but the sheer size of the creatures still gives visitors the ability to marvel at the manta rays.

The other two species of sharks at the event are the white spotted bamboo shark and an epaulette shark. These sharks are of the small variety and visitors have the ability to touch them.

While harmless, these sharks do have teeth and according to the receptionist in charge of looking over the small pools of these sharks, all the sharks are females and often lay eggs, but they don’t hatch since there aren’t any male sharks to fertilize them. The eggs, however, are moved to a safe location.

Among the sea life, visitors can enjoy live music and the aquarium even sells small snacks and beverages.

According to Adrian Samora, media relations coordinator for the Aquarium of the Pacific, the purpose of Shark Lagoon Nights is for people to visit and learn about ocean issues.

“We hope that everyone can learn about the importance of sharks and their conservation. Humans kill more than 100 million sharks annually and species are becoming endangered and threatened,” Samora said. “Sharks play an important role in maintaining a healthy balance in the ocean. During Shark Lagoon Nights, guests can hear and learn from our educators about ways they can help sharks and have a chance to get up close and touch sharks.”

Shark Lagoon Nights is scheduled to open for eight more Fridays before 2017 ends, with Nov. 3 being the next scheduled opening. Doors open at 6 p.m.

grester@beachcomber.news