Snorkeling & Scuba Diving at the Downtown Aquarium Denver

Denver might not immediately come to mind when you’re thinking about diving and snorkeling destinations – but it’s an insider secret that you can actually snorkel and dive with fish at the Downtown Aquarium. Even those with no experience can hop in the water and get up close and personal with a 400 lb Queensland Grouper or swim with a school of Cownose rays, Moray Eels, red drums, nurse sharks and 400 other exotic underwater animals.

Visitors who are feeling daring can even swim with sharks in the Sunken Shipwreck exhibit, which offers the once in a lifetime chance to dive with Sand Tiger sharks, Brown sharks, Zebra sharks, barracudas, Guitar Fish and even Saw Fish, which can grow up to 14 feet long. Not every animal in the tank is scary, though – peaceful Pacific Green Sea Turtles will also be floating by. And the instructors will teach you enough about sharks and safety before you hop in that you’ll feel completely comfortable with all the marine life.

In order to swim with sharks, participants must be dive certified. But if you’re a beginner, you can still experience this adventure by earning your certification at the aquarium. Through a partnership with A1 Scuba, the Downtown Aquarium is able to offer certification courses to newbies as well as refresher courses for veterans and a variety of fun additional classes, such as Underwater Digital Photography.

There’s no need to book a flight to the Caribbean to experience amazing snorkeling and diving. With great visibility underwater and a location in the heart of Denver, learning to dive at the aquarium is an affordable and fun way to get certified and prepare for one day transitioning into the ocean. Snorkeling and scuba diving is fun for the whole family, as A1 Scuba has programs tailored to participants of all ages.

Snorkeling at the aquarium costs $85, while diving with the fish or sharks is $185. A diving certification is $255. To sign up, visit divedowntown.com.