Geesh. I had big plans for Orlando when I booked the trip. July, Orlando, what could be better? Well Dennis decided to ruin my plans. Even though he was booking up the West coast, the East coast (i.e. Orlando) got some weather. When I flew in Friday night it was hot and muggy. By the time I got my rental car sorted out (Don’t even ask. Broken down shuttle bus, we cancelled your reservation, etc.) it was pouring. Not LA rain. Buckets of water. And there’s nothing quite like driving around a town you don’t know, following Yahoo Maps when you can’t see 10 feet in front of you.
The one bright spot that turned Orlando from “that sucked” to “kinda sucked” was getting to dive the aquarium at Epcot. For $140 you can dive the 5 million gallon tank at the second happiest place on earth (Las Vegas edges out Dinsey any day of the week). What really rocked is how well organized they were. Most dive ops, no matter where you are in the world, are mostly run by disorganized clowns. Disney was always one step ahead. While you were getting a tour of the facilities someone was downstairs picking out your gear and setting it up next to your locker. It was impressive.
Anyway, the dive was beautiful. Max depth about 30 feet. Carribean Reef Sharks, giant turtles, grunts, rays, and anything else you would want to see on a dive. Plus, since it’s an open exhibit people are watching you dive. You can swim right up to the glass and wave at folks. Despite my jerk persona, watching some kid get amped up because you waved to him is a bit of a rush. It’s even more of a rush when young ladies start blowing kisses at you. Unfortunately, licking the glass is strictly prohibited.
If you dive and you happen to be in Orlando I highly recommend it.
If you don’t dive . . . shame on you. Here’s some motivation:
Sea lions off the California coast.
