Shark Dive Xtreme at SeaLife Sydney Aquarium (2024)

There was a time in my life where I was doing too many adventurous activities. I was not scared of anything. Because of my daring and rebellious attitude, I booked the Shark Dive Xtreme at Manly Sealife. I did not think much! I think from that time on, I have grown a lot as a person and have understood sharks better.

Note: The Manly Sealife is unfortunately closed and the Shark Dive Xtreme tour is now conducted at SeaLife Sydney.

About SeaLife Sydney Aquarium

SeaLife Sydney Aquarium is one of the attractions that can be seen in Darling Harbour (Sydney). With more than 700 species of aquatic life, SeaLife Sydney Aquarium is an underwater journey and a public aquarium.

The aquarium is based on various themes and each theme has certain species of marine life. It is a great place for kids to learn and understand about Australia’s water habitats and aquatic life. To cover all the exhibits, you will need around 2 hours.

Did you know that in Australia you can cage dive with Great White Sharks at Port Lincoln in South Australia?

The SeaLife Sydney Aquarium is open every day between 10 AM and 4 PM. Plan your visit as the aquarium is usually crowded especially on public holidays, weekends and school holidays.

There are many things that you can do at SeaLife Sydney Aquarium. You can have unique wildlife encounters and plan for your special occasions. One of them I did that is available at the aquarium was the Shark Dive Xtreme. Apart from visiting the aquarium and Shark Dive Xtreme, you can also go behind the scenes, have turtle encounters, have private dining, and go on glass bottom boats.

How to get to Darling Harbour?

By Public Transportation

• The easiest way to get to SeaLife Sydney Aquarium is by train.
• There are frequent trains that go through city circle. The closest train station is Town Hall train station. From Town Hall train station, you can just walk down to SeaLife Sydney Aquarium which is around a kilometre.
• Up-to-date information can be found on the Transport for New South Wales (NSW) website.

Booking and Cost for Shark Dive Xtreme

The booking is very simple and can be done online. You need to go to the website, search for the attraction, select the date and make the payment.

As I mentioned, I did the Shark Dive Xtreme experience in Manly Sealife and the cost has changed. I think when I did it was somewhere around AUD 200 to 250. In SeaLife Sydney Aquarium, the same experience cost around AUD 269.

My Experience of Shark Dive Xtreme

The Shark dive was divided into systematic steps.

• Step 1 – Filling in the paperwork.
• Step 2 – We were given instructions on the dive and were shown a DVD.
• Step 3 – We were provided with the diving gear.
• Step 4 – We practiced the breathing underwater in a pool.
• Step 5 – And we were taken inside the aquarium to dive with the sharks.

The dive was from 6 PM to 8 PM and I reached well ahead of time. There were 3 people who were waiting as well. The entire process was smooth and safe (Trust me! It was totally safe). During the dive, the two instructors were always by our side, making us feel completely safe and comfortable in the aquarium.

Once we were comfortable with breathing under water, we jumped into the aquarium through a passage connected between the pool and the aquarium. The aquarium had many small fishes, two big stingrays (as big as queen size bed), two huge marine turtles and four 3-meters long grey nurse sharks.

The grey nurse sharks have sharp pointy heads with a bulky body. They are quite docile and are not a threat to humans. You can see these grey nurse sharks in their natural habitat either at The Gutter in Shell Harbour or at Bushrangers Bay in New South Wales (NSW).

I personally felt the stingray was really very cute. And I think it probably thought I was its food 😀 as it brushed over me twice, once over my head and the second over my right arm. It was as soft as velvet, just so beautiful.

Closing Notes

I was overwhelmed with the experience of being in the same tank as that of the sharks and stingrays. The Shark Xtreme Dive was definitely thrilling and mind-boggling at the same time. It was a mix of emotions, fear, excitement, and happiness.