Up-close-and-personal at Champlain Valley Fair shark tank

ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont is a landlocked state and so the last thing you’d expect here are sharks. But that’s exactly what we found at the Champlain Valley Fair as part of a new traveling exhibit. Reporter Cat Viglienzoni checked out the shark tank.

Vermont is a landlocked state and so the last thing you’d expect here are sharks. But that’s exactly what we found at the Champlain Valley Fair as part of a new traveling exhibit. Reporter Cat Viglienzoni checked out the shark tank.

The first step before getting into a shark tank is making sure that you can breathe. Without gills, I needed the help of a mask.

“Take a big breath,” advised Felipe Velarde with Sealand Encounter, who helped coach me through my time in the tank.

After testing, it’s time to put on weights and hop in.

Reporter Cat Viglienzoni: All right, we’re about to get into the tank with the nurse sharks. They’re kind of pulling up. They’re kind of a little curious right now, but I’ve been told that the moment I get into this tank they’re basically going to go and retreat to a corner because I’m new. I’m different and they’re not sure what to make of me. So, here we go.

The water is warm and as predicted, the nurse sharks stay away at first. But eventually, they get curious.

“You can feel free to move around Cat,” Velarde said.

I learned each shark has its own personality. Jimmy is curious. He’s the first to approach. Rosita is the spunkier one. She has no problem coming up to check me out. Abby is a bit shyer.

“They’re just trying to check out who you are,” Velarde said.

Nurse sharks live in warm waters in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans. They’re bottom dwellers not typically known for being aggressive towards humans. However, they can bite when provoked.

Reporter Cat Viglienzoni: Obviously, this is a pretty special scenario and these are pretty special sharks. They recommend though that if you are in the wild and you see a shark, you do not approach it and you do not try to touch it

I was trained before going in on how to make sure that I did not accidentally confuse the sharks, and so I was able to mingle — unhurt… and in awe.

Reporter Cat Viglienzoni: You’re going to have to tear me out of here because I’m really having fun right now

Experiences like this aren’t something offered to the public at the fair. But they hope seeing the sharks up close and seeing how docile they are will give people a new perception of them.

Reporter Cat Viglienzoni: And how do you make sure that while you’re on the road with these guys that they are well cared for? Because I think some people might see this tank and go, well that’s not a huge tank, you know?

Felipe Velarde: Probably the hardest part about this is getting down the road and it’s the reason we work exclusively with nurse sharks, because they adapt very well to this kind of environment. Even in the wild, they live in places with just about this much water, sometimes because they’ll get stuck in a tide pool.

Reporter Cat Viglienzoni: I could spend all day in here with the sharks but unfortunately I have work to do and we have to put this together for tonight’s news, so I’m going to head out of here. But honestly ladies and gentlemen, it’s been a great. Thank you for being such good hosts. I will see you at the show later.

The public can see these sharks up close anytime, but if you want to learn more about them, the shows are at 12:30, 2:30, and 7:00 every day by the Yellow Gate.

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