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Celebrating Shark Awareness Day at SeaWorld San Antonio

Park enlisted influencers, bloggers and reporters to get the word out.

SAN ANTONIO — Thursday was Shark Awareness Day, a day meant to highlight the vital role these animals play in keeping our oceans healthy. Considering that, SeaWorld wanted to give people a special look at these sometimes-misunderstood creatures.

"A lot of the times this is the first time that people are seeing sharks," said Janelle Baca, an Aquarium Supervisor for SeaWorld.

The tanks in Explorers Reef at Seaworld San Antonio are absolutely brimming with sharks lately.

"We have our Sand Tiger, Sand Bar, Zebra and Nurse Sharks," Baca said.

She said its important people understand the role sharks play in the ecosystem.

"Sharks play a vital role as the apex predator in our ocean environment,” she said. “They are responsible for maintaining a healthy ecosystem by taking out the weak, the sick, the dying, the injured animals of that environment."

SeaWorld invited a group of bloggers, influencers, and those of us in the traditional media to help spread the word about these creatures for shark awareness day.

"It was incredible, I mean, we learned so much about sharks, we saw them being fed,” said Kelly Corbitt. “We come here a lot, but we never ever experienced the shark encounter before."

Corbitt and Nick Carlos say they spend a lot of time at SeaWorld, though not always for the fish.

"We are the 'Quirky Coaster Couple' and we just go to theme parks. we like roller coasters," Carlos said.

This time they found themselves on a different thrill ride: watching sharks get fed and even getting to touch one.

"It looks like the shark would be smooth,” Corbitt said. “But no! it feels like sandpaper! It’s, I'm like... mind blown."

Baca said that as threatening as they might appear, these animals are not generally a threat to humans.

"We want to bring attention to sharks and let people know that they're not as terrorizing and menacing as you might think," she said.

SeaWorld does offer its shark tours to the public. Click here for more info.

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