Experience Epcot's Divequest
By Roee (May 2005)

From the moment I first laid my eyes on the information page of the Divequest Tour over at the Walt Disney World Resort's site, I knew that it was going to be a great experience.

I was looking for a place to visit for my vacation and Orlando seemed to be a good place to visit and after discussing with my friend, we decided to take the opportunity and experience this wonderful tour.

Referred as the world's sixth ocean by the Epcot staff, the Living Seas is a 5.7-million-gallon saltwater aquarium that houses a variety of marine life that includes sharks, rays, fish, and turtles. Epcot's DiveQuest Program along with the Seas Aqua Tour using a Scuba Assisted Snorkel unit (participants swim on the surface with a built-in flotation device while breathing compressed air from a regulator attached to a small tank) are two of the most exciting behind-the-scenes tours offered in all of Walt Disney World.

DiveQuest allows certified scuba divers to dive on the Living Sea's coral reef accompanied by a few divemasters from Disney's staff. This program is open to divers with at least Open Water status and also to participants under the age of 18 as long as they are accompanied by a participating adult. The entire experience is about $140.00 per person but may vary according to the many discounts you might be eligible for. All diving equipment is provided, and included in the cost. Also participants get to stay in Epcot for the remainder of the day after the dive at no extra cost.

From the get go, the entire reservation process was simple. I contacted their reservation center and in less than 5 minutes a friendly reservation specialist had finished booking me to what has turned out to be one of the best dives I have ever been to. I was also informed that a maximum of 12 divers would be allowed in a group.

On the day our dive was scheduled, we eagerly waited with 4 other participants at the benches next to the offices of guest relations. It is recommended that you arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the set time. At the designated time, we were greeted by 3 divemasters from the Divequest program. There was a quick head count and our C-Cards were taken in for copies. We were also asked about our preferred size for booties, wetsuits and t-shirts. It is important to note that you are not allowed to use your own gear. That is to prevent potential contamination that could affect the marine life in the aquarium. You are however allowed to bring your own mask.

We were led inside the park where we were shown the filtration system for the exhibit. We were told that the filtration system of the Living Seas processes more water than the system serving the Orlando area. We were then led to a briefing room where we watched a short video about the exhibit, and the upcoming dive. We were also asked to sign a standard "release of responsibility" waiver stating that every creature in the exhibit was a protected animal, so participants can not harass, chase nor actively seek interaction with them, specifically mentioning the sea turtles. We were then briefed by the divemaster about the marine life that we were about to encounter such as the eagle rays, white tip reef sharks, groupers among other creatures. We were informed that there would be a 10-15 minute tour and filming session, and then we could do pretty much whatever we wanted. We were also reminded that while in the tank, we would be "unofficial cast members" of the exhibit and therefore to act accordingly.

Now, it was off to the lockers. Each of the participants had a bag with their names on containing the booties and the wetsuit. We reassembled just outside of the lockers after changing and were led up to the top of the tank. We were paraded in our wetsuits on our way to the tank and I for one felt like the astronauts in the movie "The Right Stuff" with kids waving at us and others saying "Look honey, they are scuba divers."

Once at the tank, we met our videophotographer and the other divemaster who was going to accompany us in the dive. We were told that during the dive, if we were to hide our hands, fishes would be a lot more curious and would likely seek out interaction. We proceeded to put on our gear with the help of the friendly staff at the tank ledge, which is a 3-4 foot deep platform, which made donning our gear really easy. The gear was top notch Atomic regulators and fins. The BCD was a scubapro model. There were no octopus or secondary air source but we were told that it was because of trying to minimize possible entanglements. We were assure that all the divemasters, including the videophotographer carried spare airs canisters that could be easily reached.

Our adventure officially began here. We descended to the bottom of the tank which sits at a comfortable 27ft. The water was crystal clear with visibility well over 150 feet. More importantly the water was a warm 79 degrees. For a diver who is accustomed to 55 degrees water from California, this was truly paradise. A quick head count was made and we swiftly moved to a tunnel like coral formation where the videophotographer positioned himself above so he could capture us going through and up of the tunnel. We then proceeded to the "wreck site". A small portion of the tank where there are artifacts from a real wreck off the coast of Florida. There we could play with the many cannonballs that were all around the site. After that we proceeded to the dive bell. We took our turns to go into it. I was the first to go inside after the divemaster. Once inside, I had the chance to remove my regulator and my mask, clean my face and then wave to the camera. One by one, the group went in and did their thing in the dive bell.

Now, we were turned lose to do our own exploring of the living seas aquarium. At first I and my friend were just overwhelmed. Everywhere you looked, there was marine life. It was hard to decide where to go explore first. We decided to visit the huge glasses that were at the observation deck. As soon as we got close to the glass, several young boys and girls rushed to meet us. We performed summersaults, turns and twists to their amusement. Their parents would then take many pictures of us interacting with their child. Now that I think about it, I should have had a small slate with "Please send me those pictures" written on it.
We then proceeded to the restaurant portion of the tank where we also greeted many who were dining there. We spent a large amount of time entertaining the guests at both the observation deck and the restaurant and we truly felt like part of the exhibit.

In between the sessions of fun with the park guests, we had a chance to swim with a large school of angel fish, as well as this overly large grouper at one of the corners of the tank. Had a close encounter with a 3 foot shark that was just hovering and looking straight at me just inches away from my mask. I also had a chance to swim with a ray that literally spiral swam from my chest up to my face gently gliding over my face. The life in that tank is just astonishing. It would have taken us several dives in different parts of the world to see all the marine life that is present.

The dive itself lasted approximately 40 minutes. During that time, we alternated in entertaining the guests and exploring the tank until we heard the call back sound, which were rocks being smashed against each other. We slowly returned to our decent site and started to slowly surface. That was by far the quickest 40 minutes dive that I had ever experienced. It was just too much fun and way too short. We slowly swam back to the ledge where the staff helped us out of the gear and we were led back to the lockers for a well deserved hot shower. Towers, shampoo and soap are provided so you do not need to bring them.

We reassembled once ready and were led back to the briefing room where we were presented with the exclusive Epcot Divequest T-Shirt and our certificate for completion of the tour. We also watched the video that they had just made for us and shared stories of the dives with the other participants. The dive video is available for purchase for $35 and all the proceeds including the $140 for the tour goes to the Disney Wildlife Fund. We were sad to find out that none of the participants were able to spot the sea turtle that lives in the exhibit only to see it from the outside once we were let lose. It was resting peacefully in a place that we had swam over at least half dozen times during the dive that I and my friend could not believe we had missed it.

After a few more stories, we said goodbye to our guides and were let lose to enjoy the rest of the evening at Epcot. We went on to visit several other attractions at Epcot such as the Test Track and Space Mission but not before visiting the Living Sea Exhibit, this time from outside the aquarium tank.

This is a wonderful dive and all divers should try it. It might be a bit pricey but it is for a good cause and the dive is just out of this world. For those if you scuba divers that might be visiting Epcot in the near future, call them, give it a try, you won't regret it. We can't wait to dive it again and we have already convinced nearly ever person who have watched out video to join us in our next Divequest tour.

For more information, please visit Walt Disney World Resort