Dubai: A sense of beauty and thrill washes over swimmers as they snorkel atop the cool blue waters and a gentle current whisks them on a journey into another world filled with beautiful sea creatures emblazoned in blue, green and grey.
Thousands of colourful reef fish, sharks and rays meander through the ruins of a lost city anchored on the sea floor deep below.
But this is not some sunken, sunspeckled coral reef of the Gulf deeps.
This is, in fact, one of the largest manmade salt-water repositories in the world, Ambassador Lagoon in Atlantis, Dubai, an 11 million litre marvel newly opened in early May at the iconic world hotel.
Gulf News was given an exclusive opportunity to test the waters with neon yellow swimming vest, snorkel and deep-sea masks in hand.
Home to 65,000 marine creatures, the artificial lagoon gives visitors an opportunity to discover interesting facts about the different species that live in the Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
“All the fish available are either native to the Gulf or native to the Indian Ocean. We have many colourful species of fish and sharks and sting rays. We have some big sharks in there but they are more likely to swim the other way than near you, so you can relax about that,” said manager of Ambassador Lagoon, Robert Bennett.
Not only does the new activity in Atlantis provide its visitors with a new experience but it also raises awareness about environmental issues and about some programs available to help protect these species.
“We are very proud of our shark and sting ray collection, we have a very successful breeding programme especially when it comes to our Marble rays. Our Zebra sharks are also part of a programme where we work with other aquariums on breading programs and research,” said Bennett.
Bad reputation
Bennett stated that one of the goals of the lagoon is to dispel the negative reputation of sting rays and sharks.
“Sting rays and sharks have a really bad reputation and we want the world to start recognizing that these are not man-eating monsters, they need help, they need protection and there is a really great opportunity for people to see this,” he said.
A key factor that gives the experience of snorkelling in the lagoon a surreallistic charm is the outstanding visibility of the fish.
“It is all natural sea water; we have a couple of pumps in the sea that bring in the sea water and then pumps it back out again. We have an amazing filtration system where the water goes through huge sand filters so it is nice and clear. We also chill the water because the water temperature gets really high in the summer so we keep it in 26 degrees in the summer and 23-24 degrees in the winter so it will be comfortable to both the fish and the snorkelers.”
The ultimate snorkelling experience in Atlantis’s Ambassador’s lagoons is open to adults and children as young as the age of six because it is a simple and easy experience where they can wear the life jackets provided by the lagoon and float around. Upon arrival, snorkelers are given a mask and snorkel (that they can take with them home).
One of the first visitors to experience the lagoon stated that though she has snorkelled many times in different parts of the world, she was never able to get so close to the fish.
“It was an amazing experience. I have snorkelled many times but I never got to swim so close to many different species of fish before,” said Anna.
Snorkelers are advised not to touch the fish in order to preserve the protective layer on their skin.
“Snorkelers should not touch the fish not because we are afraid that they are going to bite but because they have a protective slim-like layer on their skin that prevents them from getting infected. So if people start touching them it wipes off the slime on their skin and makes them more prone to infections,” said Bennett.
Some of the species available at the lagoon include four different species of sharks the Grey Reef Shark, Bowmouth Shark, Giant guitar shark and Zebra Sharks. In total there are 22 sharks. The lagoon also includes four species of sting rays that include Eagle Rays, Cow nose Rays, Marble Rays and Cow tail Rays.
The Cow tail sharks are particularly interesting as Benette stated that the have human looking eyes and are available in the Gulf in large numbers. As for colourful fish, the Oriental Sweetlips are definitely worth watching out for.
