As some or most of you may know, the Shark Reef at Typhoon Lagoon is coming to an end, and sadly closing. The Shark Reef has been around since 1989 when the water park first opened. As a Disney College Program Alumni this makes me sad to hear. Typhoon Lagoon was my location as a Deep guard. It makes me even sadder because that was one of my rotations. The Shark Reef was by far my favorite rotation as a deep guard.

For those of you who are not aware of the Shark Reef, it was an attraction for guests to snorkel in that was ten feet deep in a cool temperature lagoon. The guests are able to snorkel around the lagoon in one direction, swimming with all sorts of fish, stingrays, and sharks. All animals were well taken care of and would not harm the guests. It was a different experience and an attraction unlike any other at Disney World.

The Shark Reef consisted of a six-stand rotation. Two of the stands were in the water. One stand was instructing people and making them aware while the other stand was swimming around in the water helping those in need of your assistance. Then you had a sitting stand, a standing stand, and a break. This rotation was awesome because you could actually be in the water. However, use cast members do get attached to their animals in the water even though it sounds silly.

There were several stingrays in the water but there was one special stingray, PJ. PJ was everyone’s favorite. PJ would go to the edge of the area and jump up and down and wave one of his fins to say hello. It was also once said that he liked to suck on the bottom of the Cast Member’s feet. He was notorious for swimming right under our feet and brushing up against us. Another special friend was Bruce. Bruce was our little baby shark. There were other sharks in the reef but Bruce was the smallest. Bruce was always a picky eater and would make everybody wait for him to eat!

I speak not only for me but also for everyone who guarded the reef. Jumping into the reef for training and for rescues was probably the most fun place to do so. When you jump for a rescue you do not really look where you are jumping so most times you are jumping into a big school of fish. It was mesmerizing to watch people react and get scared. It was incredible to see all sorts of fish swimming around. Who gets to say they got to work in a reef and their job was to swim with fish, sharks, and stingrays and make sure everyone was okay? Not a lot of people!

Oh Shark Reef, you will be missed dearly. Your replacement will never be as good as you. I surely do miss the days of baking in the sun with a huge smile on my face while guarding the reef. I miss your cold temperature and all my fishy friends. I vowed to go back and see you again but sadly that day will never come. Thank you for the best memories and the excitement. You will be missed dearly. Once a goonie, always a goonie.