TL Shark Reef Plexiglass?

[Girls Scout Leader]

My DD has been reading "Walt Disney World for and by Teens" and she ran accross a question. The book says:

"At shark reef you go into a salt water tank with snorkels, and the sharks are behind plexiglass, so it sort of looks like you are swimming with them".

Now, we were there in 2000, and loved the shark reef, but I do not remember there being plexiglass! In fact, we recall them telling us that they feed the sharks in such a way so that they do not associate people with food, so that's why the sharks really don't bother anyone. Has this changed?
(The plexigalss, not the feeding!!)

 

[Safari Steve]

There is no plexiglass... is this book "official" or "unnoficial"?
The water temperature and the feeding method keep the sharks at the bottom of the pool, while smaller fish swim a bit closer to the surface.

Additionally, if there was plexiglass, it would be difficult to keep clean, and it would prevent oxygen from dissolving into the water, which would result in dead fish and sharks... they breathe oxygen too... just in a different manner.

 

[Virgo10]

The sharks are behind plexiglass at Discovery Cove (a Sea World Attraction in Orlando). I was there in 2000. They have a similar setup to TL, only much larger.

Roberta
*Imagine... only 7 days, 18 hours and 58 minutes till WDW!*

 

[Girls Scout Leader]

maybe that is what she was thinking of?
Yeah, it may be "unofficial" but so is this site.
Is Burnbaums?
How about "Disney For Dummies" ? (which i did read, but after being here, i did not learn one darn thing.)
Ok, for that matter, is there an OFFICIAL guide book for disney?

Thanks for the replies. I could not fathom plexiglass, myself. And another "typo", she refers to the "house of Presidents" in the Magic Kingdom

 

[MontyMontyMOnty]

We skipped TL (I was pg and sidnt want to just float around all day!), but in prev years we did go, and enjoyed shark reef. (It is pretty cold i nthere! The sharks in there are (or at least were) Nurse Sharks--big, but not aggressive towards people-that, along with the other things mentioned, means they are pretty uninterested in the folks swimming with them!

 

[Safari Steve]

Yes, Birnbaum's is "The official WDW Guidebook."
We are very lucky to have the DIS as such an accurate and entertaining reference, but other unnoficial sources are... well, not as thorough. I've found "The Unofficial WDW Guide" -used to have oranges on its cover- to be inaccurate, negative, misleading, and unrealistic as far as iteneraries.
"Disney for Dummies" is also unofficial.
That is not to say that all unofficial references are bad. The DIS is a very good example to the contrary.

 

[wdwguide]

I agree with the statement about the Unofficial Guide - it has you believe that the RnRC has an inclined launch and that Frontierland is accessible directly from the hub... Not so on my planet... It's a shame, too, because it used to be very excellent back in the mid-1990s.

I prefer the PassPorter! Those guys actually care about what they are doing and you can tell when reading it. Plus it's not overly sugarcoated like some sources that appear to have at least three italicised superlatives per sentence so that you don't forget for a second how magical everything is.

 

[sltrawick]

They are behind plexiglass. Because my dh and son went into the shark pool or whatever you call it. Then, all of a sudden, they cleared everyone out of the pool (except my dh and son), because one of the sharks had gotten loose from under the plexiglass. They kepted swimming across and the lifeguards, etc were walking the length of the pool with huge nets trying to get the shark that was following close on the heels of my family.
Needless to say, eveything was OK and dh and son hadn't a clue as to what was going on until they stood up and got out of the pool and looked at the lifeguards trying to catch the shark. Then they realized what was up.
The lifeguard was the one that said, out loud I might add about it (the shark) got out from under the plexiglass.

 

[phanomouse]

Ok... First of all the statement is partially true. The sharks are behind plexiglass. I Believe that the guide refers to the tanker that you can walk around in and look through the windows to see the sealife.

as for them being under plexiglass where you are swimming this is not true... When I was an undergrad studying Medical Biology I got a job in a lab working with a Marine Biologist. He was very good friends with one of the Biologist at Disney and one time while I was at WDW he had me get in contact with him (the guy I worked with was dead set on getting me to go into marine bio). So while I was down there this guy took me to a couple places doing his regular checks... one of them was sharks reef and I stood right on the bottom there was no plexiglass. Also when I was there on my honey moon I had a shark swim right under me. I reach out and let it swim through my hands... it scared my wife so bad she wont do it anymore. The sharks are not agressive and they are fed very well... they are not a danger to anyone.

As for your experience sltrawick I don't know what they could have been doing... the life guards aren't even allowed to capture the sealife. The other thing I was thinking about was why would they have plexiglass only to block the sharks? and why, if there was plexiglass, would it only cover a portion of the reef, I mean I know you didn't say that but for the shark to get out wouldn't that have to be the case? It wouldn't make sense. I have seen man made reefs that have a plexiglass incasment they feed the sharks from underneath the reef and you can tell when you look into the reef that there is glass there. So something must have happened while you were there, I personally don't think you were told the entire truth but still... that would have been interesting to see!

 

[Ratpack]

When I was there last, there was no plexiglass between you and the inhabitants. It would be hard to make it look invisible. Could it be that maybe the CM said that in order to ease the nerves of youger kids that may have been in the water before and planning to go back? At Disney, the CM"s love to joke around.

 

[sltrawick]

I didn't think there was plexiglass either, but when they guys (I am assuming they were lifeguards) had the huge nets trying to get them on the heels of my dh and ds and then what they said...that is all I had to go on.

My dh & ds thought it was way cool and couldn't wait to do it again. I know they cleared everyone out of the 1 tank and made them use the other one.

So....I don't really know what to believe.

 

[jaysue]

Interesting how this thread became a guide bashing instrument

Anyways since it was said above, I have Passporter and Unofficial Guide and have read Birnbaum's.

I think the Unofficial Guide is the best and the Passporter makes a great companion resource and Birnbaum's was so-so at best.

thanks
jaysue