I had never been to the West Coast of Florida before but I wanted to come here for one reason … Shark Con! Every July, shark fin-atics gather here at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa to share their passion and love for one of the most misunderstood creatures on Earth. Having an entire weekend long convention dedicated to sharks is a testament to the progress that has been made in changing people's mindset about them. Shark Con is proof that there are so many people out there who do not see sharks as monsters but rather as respectable inhabitants of planet earth.
My journey began with a landing at the Tampa airport which I
found absolutely charming with its clean appearance and larger than life pink
flamingo that stood tall above the travelers walking below it. As with any visit to Florida in July, I found
it hot outside but not the usual uncomfortable heat that I’ve grown accustomed
to on Florida’s east coast. It was hot
but pleasant, if that makes any sense.
After a relaxing hour at the hotel’s pool and an amazing personal pizza
at Flipper’s, I was ready to turn in for the night in anticipation of my first
Shark Con the next morning.
Upon my arrival, I quite literally entered the shark’s mouth. (At the entrance door was an over-sized, inflatable, blown-up shark mouth in the shape of a dome.) I took just a few steps inside and was already overwhelmed but in the best way imaginable! There were just sharks EVERYWHERE! Larger than life inflatable sharks, a life-size replica white shark head, shark bags, shark clothing, shark artwork, shark tooth fossils, shark themed jewelry, stickers, signs, and other little knickknacks, just to name a few things, and of course the endless JAWS memorabilia. I just wanted to buy everything for myself and my bestest of sharky friends.
It was beyond clear that this was a gathering for shark
lovers. But in addition to the sharks,
there were many other animals that were given recognition as well. It was hard to miss the super large
inflatable octopus (which was actually a Kraken) and manatee. The animal displays of living, breathing
owls, a Komodo dragon, and various fish were also fun to visit with. Fossils of whale vertebrae, horse teeth,
dinosaur and other prehistoric creatures, and wooly mammoth teeth and hair were
amazing and extremely humbling to see.
And beyond that there were also many other interesting things including
tables/booths dedicated to conservation efforts, protecting sea turtle nests, and
preserved specimens of small long-deceased sharks. And you couldn’t help but laugh at the brave
individuals trying to tame the mechanical bull shark! I’ll also have to mention the neon
yellow-haired girl walking around in the Sharknado costume and the countless
shark outfits, accessories, and other paraphernalia that adorned my fellow
Shark Con attendees!
I found the talented actor who portrayed Quint from JAWS to
be extremely entertaining. Interacting
with him was just like being in the movie.
In addition to him, many of the child actors from JAWS and JAWS 2 were
present in celebration of the 50th Anniversary since the release of
the original movie. They had discussion
panels and shared with us interesting tidbits of what went on behind the scenes
filming with the big name actors and director Steven Spielberg. Unfortunately, Richard Dreyfus had caught Bronchitis
and was unable to attend which disappointed so many, including myself!
In addition to the JAWS discussion panels, there were other
panels of marine biologists, scientists, and professors from Florida
International University (FIU), Shark Fest, and other organizations. They discussed shark research and conservation
efforts. I absolutely loved hearing
about their personal experiences of working with sharks and their input on some
of the things they see and believe about shark behaviors among other shark and
ocean related issues. It was amazing to
do a breakout session with Dr. Mike Heithaus, Dr. Yannis Papastmatiou, and one
other scientist (Dr. Diego I didn’t catch his last name!) in a smaller room
with only a small number of attendees.
Such an amazing opportunity to pick their brains about shark science!!
What else did I love about Shark Con? Seeing my friends/co-volunteers at the
Sharks4Kids booth, of course! In
addition to them, I also loved meeting vendors who I’ve shopped from and follow
on social media including SilverFinCo., FinPin Shop, Spicy Shark, and Blair
Marrow from Meggoddess Designs. I was
super excited to meet her because I was scheduled to dive on her dive charter
the following week to hunt for fossils in Venice. I splurged and purchased a beautiful
Megalodon tooth from Blair’s table here which she adorned with a stunning greenish-blue
lacquer paint to resemble the ocean with three black, silhouette sharks
swimming in it. (I will not reveal how
much I spent on that!) It was also
amazing to randomly run into Captain Cindy from North Carolina who graciously
introduced me to hundreds of sand tiger sharks just two years ago.
Even though I arrived at my first Shark Con solo, I knew I
was among friends and so many like-minded people. The two days just flew by and by the end I
felt as exhausted as if I had done two full days of diving. Needless to say, I can see myself attending
again in the future.
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