It was a long-awaited trip for the Ridgetown Scouts and Venturers, but they finally managed to make the trip to Ripley’s Aquarium in downtown Toronto for an overnight stay at the aquarium. Pictured above, Alex Dunn and Elizabeth O’Rourke gaze at the fantastic giant sea turtle.
By Michael Bennett
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Ridgetown Independent
Members of the 1st Ridgetown Scouts and Venturers recently enjoyed the experience of a lifetime.
Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, and Venturers, plus their leaders, recently had the opportunity to sleep over in a shark tank overnight.
The girls and boys from 1st Ridgetown spent the night in the Dangerous Lagoon, a clear-glass tube walkway in the Ripley’s Aquarium in downtown Toronto.
The aquarium features 10 galleries and more than 20,000 marine animals from various habitats around the world.
The Dangerous Lagoon is the aquarium’s largest tank, and its sea life includes sharks, octopuses, stingrays, other fish, and sea turtles.
The 1st Ridgetown troop booked the sleepover package, which includes exploring the aquarium, doing hands-on activities, and spending the night in sleeping bags inside the glass maze.
“During regular operating hours, this area of the aquarium can be quite busy,” said First Ridgetown leader Adam Frazee. “It was wonderful to have the entire aquarium to ourselves at night.”
Aquarium staff provided a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility as the troop visited the kitchen to see how food is prepared for the fish, and witnessed how new aquatic life brought into the aquarium adapts before being released into the large tanks.
“It was fascinating to learn that the sharks are quite well-fed, which explains why they do not eat the other wildlife that they share their tank with,” Frazee said.
Scouts also learned about the problems plastic waste causes in the oceans, and worked on a craft decorating a sustainable cloth shopping bag using the ancient Japanese fish printing technique of Gyotaku.
The youth enjoyed petting stingrays and viewing the rest of the marine life, especially the Giant Pacific Octopus.
After a light snack, it was lights out in the Dangerous Lagoon.
“They turn the lights out, and after your eyes adjust, it’s truly surreal to be lying there and watching the shadows of sharks, stingrays, and sea turtles pass over you,” Frazee said.
The scouts spent the Sunday exploring the rest of Ripley’s Aquarium at their own leisure until it was time for the bus to head home.
The troop spent more than two years raising funds by hosting pancake breakfasts and sales from their Apple days to help offset the cost.
The idea for the trip to the Ripley’s Aquarium was first discussed in 2019.
“We had an overnight at the Air Museum in Hamilton, where we slept under the wings of the big Lancaster, and the leaders talked about what the next big trip would be,” Frazee said.
The Ripley’s Aquarium was the unanimous choice, but their trip was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
