Journey with Gentle Giants — Swim

Cancellations and no-shows will not be refunded or rescheduled. Guests arriving late (after the required program check-in time) will not be permitted to participate in the program and will not be refunded or rescheduled. We encourage guests to arrive at the Aquarium with plenty of time to park, enter, and check into the program. Please plan accordingly. To change your reservation, please contact the Georgia Aquarium Call Center at 404.581.4000. Due to the nature of caring for animals, Georgia Aquarium reserves the right to modify, cancel and/ or reschedule programs without notice. Reasonable accommodations will be made to reschedule guests as effectively as possible.

Open Water certified divers ages 12 and up are eligible to participate in the SCUBA program. All SCUBA gear is provided for the 30-minute dive and personal masks are permitted.

Guests will swim at the surface with a flotation device and a snorkel. The following equipment is provided: mask and snorkel, gloves, booties, wetsuit, and flotation device. Personal masks are permitted.

Daily at 3 p.m. and with an additional dive on Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. This is a 2.5 hour experience. The dive portion will last approximately 30 minutes. You may need to arrive earlier if you wish to experience the Dolphin Celebration presentation.

Daily at 4:30 p.m. This is a 2.5 hour experience. The swim portion will last approximately 30 minutes.

No.

The water temperature is 77ºF.

At Georgia Aquarium, we recognize that vacation plans can change. The Aquarium does not offer refunds, but a date may be changed free of charge if the change is made at least 14 days in advance of the original date of your visit. If the change is made less than 14 days prior to the original date of your visit, a $50 change fee per ticket will be charged. Cancellations within 48 hours and no-shows will not be refunded or rescheduled. To change your reservation, please contact the Georgia Aquarium Call Center at 404-581-4000.

You can make a reservation by registering online or calling 404-581-4000. After you have purchased your reservation, you will receive a confirmation email that will include instructions how to supply additional information and submit the waivers required to participate in the program. All participants must have the program liability waiver and animal interactive program guidelines signed and dated prior to participating in the program. Guests under the age of 18 must have the program liability waiver and animal interactive program guidelines signed and dated by their parent or court appointed legal guardian.

There will be three dive masters in the water with you at all times. Dive team members are CPR, first aid and emergency oxygen trained. Both the dive and swim programs are a guided tour; they are not a free swim.

Please go to the Animal Interactions desk, located next to the Ocean Voyager Built by The Home Depot, to check in 30 minutes prior to your experience.

Yes, friends and family can watch you in the Ocean Voyager exhibit at the tunnel and big window. They must purchase general admission tickets. Guests will be escorted around the dry side during the event for the best opportunity to see the participants. Please do not leave minor children (under age 12) unattended with the Aquarium Volunteers during your swim/dive experience.

We can accommodate wetsuit sizes and equipment sizes for people who weigh between 45 lbs and 320 lbs.

Yes, we have designed the locker room and dive platform to meet ADA regulations. When you call to make a reservation, please let the reservists know you have special needs and someone from the dive program will call you prior to your visit to review your special needs, mobility issues and equipment.

All participants (Swim, Dive, or CCR) must be ages 12 and older. Guests under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a participating adult in the water.

Adult to Child Ratios:

For the Dive Program, there is a maximum of 7 children (ages 15-17) per participating adult and EACH child ages 12-14 must be accompanied by a participating adult. Guests under the age of 18 must have the program liability waiver and animal interactive program guidelines signed and dated by their parent or court appointed legal guardian.

We encourage guest to pre-register as there are a limited number of spaces per swim and dive.

For the swim program, the cost is $235.95 plus tax for non-Members and $212.95 plus tax for Annual Pass Members. For the SCUBA dive program, the cost is $335.95 (plus tax) for non-Members and $279.95 for Annual Pass Members. Program price includes all equipment for the swim or dive, certificate of participation, t-shirt and souvenir photo. DVD will be available for purchase. Equipment provided: mask, fins, tank (snorkel for swim), buoyancy device, regulator (for dive only), weights, booties and wetsuit. Personal masks are permitted, but will be required to be disinfected.

All you will need to bring is your swimsuit. If diving, you will have to provide proof of open water certification from a nationally or internationally recognized organization, along with photo identification. Georgia Aquarium will supply all equipment (mask, fins, tank, buoyancy device, regulator, weights, wetsuit and booties) and towels. Please do not bring your own equipment. Personal masks are permitted. Cameras of any kind are not permitted in the water. Comfortable changing rooms with showers and lockers are provided.

Yes, if you would like to SCUBA dive. Proof of open water certification from a nationally or internationally recognized organization must be provided, along with photo identification. There is no certification necessary to participate in the swim program.

SCUBA diving is the act of swimming underwater while using self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. There are several large diving organizations that train and certify divers and dive instructors. The Aquarium’s swim program will allow individuals to swim at the surface with a snorkel, and this does not require any certification.

The exhibit contains 6.3 million gallons of water and ranges in depth from 20 to 33 feet deep. This exhibit houses thousands of fish including whale sharks, zebra sharks, sawfish, leopard whiprays, bowmouth guitarfish, humphead wrasses, pompano and several species of rays. That’s just to name a few.

The program lasts for 2.5 hours and includes a 30-minute swim or SCUBA dive in the Ocean Voyager exhibit. Participants will get to see to the top of Ocean Voyager exhibit.

The program is an exploration of the Ocean Voyager exhibit and introduction to the Georgia Aquarium conservation and whale shark research program. Journey with Gentle Giants is the only opportunity in the world where you are guaranteed to swim or SCUBA dive with the largest fish in the world, the whale shark. A portion of the proceeds from this program support the Aquarium’s research and conservation efforts.

If you are SCUBA certified, you can participate in either program depending on cost and interest. If you are not SCUBA certified, you can only participate in our swim program, because it does not require any previous certification of snorkeling experience.