When walking across the rope bridge, it does move slightly from side to side. Over the last week, they've been adding the finishing touches. Since January, a crew of about 20 would use harnesses, scaffolding and other safety precautions as they worked on these rafts. 'Most guys have never seen sharks this close, let alone worked over top of them,' said Hess. Hess says building this bridge took 4 tons of steel, 148 bolts, enough rope to span the length of 63 football fields and a little bit of courage. 'It's not your average job site,' said Project Manager Douglas Hess. 'You can see 10-, 12-, 14-feet sharks below you,' said Perno. While you walk the 81 feet across, be sure to look down so you don't miss nearly 30 sandbar, sand tiger and nurse sharks. 'And it really gives you that behind the scenes view that guests never had before.'Īnd that view comes from right overhead on what's being called the longest V-shaped rope suspended bridge of its kind. You get to see divers get into the exhibit, clean the exhibit, or a husbandry staff pole feed our sharks,' said Kim Perno, Guest Experience Manager. 'You're going to get to see staff at work. After three-and-a-half months of careful work, the Shark Bridge is opening. (WPVI) - Starting Friday, you can look at sharks in a whole new way at Adventure Aquarium in Camden. “I thought a shark was going to come and bite me,” the little boy said.Starting Friday, you can look at sharks in a whole new way at Adventure Aquarium in Camden.ĬAMDEN, N.J. He crossed with his father, Tetsushi, and sister, Miyuki, 9. Hiroki, 6, had conquered his initial fear of walking over the sharks and was thrilled by his accomplishment. PHL17’s David Grzybowski got a sneak peak this morning of the 81-foot bridge over the sharks. The Dan family of Wayne, Passaic County, was all smiles when the crossing was completed. The Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ will opening up their new Shark Bridge exhibit tomorrow at 10:30am. While the bridge frightened at least one small child, who was crying by the time he reached the end, most young visitors seemed happy to experience it. “It didn’t bother the sharks’ environment at all,” she said. Nicole Grandinetti, curator of fish and invertebrates, said construction of the bridge had no known impact on the sharks in the tank, and no materials entered the water.

'Most guys aren't used to working around sharks.'

'Anytime we had construction workers on the dock, we had husbandry staff here,' Hess said. As a precaution, staff trained in handling sharks stood by, ready to assist if a problem arose. 'There were too many to pull out,' he said.Ī floating raft, handrails, scaffolding and life vests protected workers, while the raft also prevented debris from falling into the tank. According to Douglas Hess, the project manager for Shark Bridge, the animals remained in the water the entire time the attraction was being built. In addition to the bridge, the popular Shark Realm tank features a transparent tunnel that allows visitors to walk through it, as well as more traditional viewing areas.īuilding the bridge presented unique challenges to contractors. The aquarium features more than 8,500 species. Karen Fleming and Robyn Jarman agreed, and the group, including 2-year-old Madison Jarman, joined the queue to take another turn crossing the bridge. “Can we go again?” they asked their mothers. Both girls said they liked walking over the sharks. As they completed their initial walk from one end to the other, 5-year-old Kathryn Fleming, of Mount Laurel, and Olivia Jarman, 4½, of Moorestown, were excited. On opening day, school groups and young children were among the first to cross over the V-shaped bridge. “Shark Bridge will leverage a thrilling experience to encourage guests to make a connection between themselves, the sharks, and what they can do to help long after their visit to Adventure Aquarium.” “We hope to engage and inspire our guests to revere, not fear, these majestic and misunderstood creatures,” said Vince Nicoletti, executive director and vice president of the aquarium. Instead, aquarium staff is hoping the up-close experience will help to dispel some of visitors' reservations about the sand tigers, nurse sharks and sandbar tigers swimming beneath them.

Shark Bridge, which opened to the public April 8, provides an opportunity to cross over the top of the popular 550,000-gallon Shark Realm tank and view the aquatic life swimming underneath.īuilt with nearly 4 tons of steel and enough rope to span the length of 63 football fields, the 81-foot bridge isn't designed to be intimidating. A narrow walkway suspended above shark-infested water is giving a unique thrill and a fresh perspective to visitors at Adventure Aquarium in Camden.

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