A Real Dive

As the story goes, a small harbor was cut off from the sea in the big storm that created Typhoon Lagoon, trapping an overturned boat and thousands of tropical fish... along with a few sharks. Today, this little corner of the village has become known as Shark Reef.

Hammerhead Fred's Dive Shop has anything would-be explorers might need to check out the sea life on the reef. There are lots of great details in and around the shop, along with plenty of humor. The dimensional marquee for Hammerhead Fred's is a riot, with the shark sculpture outfitted with dual dive masks.

Also hanging nearby is a crate bound for Acme Taxidermy in Dearborn, Michigan, but it looks like the sawfish specimen inside is too large for the box. The sawfish's toothy snout has busted right through the front.

Whether native to the area or not, many such species (and large examples at that) were deposited in the waters around Typhoon Lagoon as a result of the storm. This pair of jaws from a Sharkus Gigantus were found washed up on the beach. (Sharkus Gigantus is fictional, but not far off from the scale of the Megalodon, a giant prehistoric shark.)

The wall of the dive shop displays a whole collection of shark jaws, including those of a Great White, Tiger Shark and Bull Shark reportedly found in the area. There's even a lone tooth attributed to "the BIG one that got away..." "almost caught in the catch basin of Humunga Cowabunga." That one's estimated to have been 25-30 feet long, but you know how fish tales go.

With all the sharks sighted in the area, it's a wonder anyone would actually want to get in the water. Then again, that's part of the thrill. (Actually, the sharks found in Shark Reef are relatively small and well-fed by the Animal Programs team, so there's no real risk for the snorkeling Guests.)

The slightly less adventurous can climb down into the hull of the overturned ship in the middle of the reef for a look out the portholes at the undersea environment.

It's a beautiful site, filled with tropical fish, rays and sharks (it's hard to make out, but there's a shark in the upper left portion of the photo below). The animals here are real and cared for by some of the same Cast Members who look after the collection at The Seas with Nemo & Friends. While opportunities exist for a qualified few to dive the tank at Epcot, Shark Reef gives every Guest the chance to swim with the fishes.