TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida Fairgrounds saw hundreds of ocean and shark lovers at the sixth annual SharkCon.
Vendor Ashley Seath took time away from her booth to interact with a touch tank.
"This is amazing, so, we are lucky to be here," Seath said. "We are looking at a white spotted bamboo shark. It takes 106 days to hatch and it will actually hatch out of this egg.”
Attendees filled the Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center over two days to enjoy the sights and sounds of this annual educational and experiential convention. Young fans like Benjamin Carter and Gerald Smith loved the giant megalodon jaws and were well informed. “A megalodon is a big shark that used to exist where the, in the dinosaur ages,” said Carter.
Another popular exhibit was the GoDiveNow Pool: a portable dive pool that let visitors experience scuba diving.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation group was also there to increase educational access for attendees.
“Being able to touch the sharks, actually gives people a hands-on experience that they can’t necessarily have in the wild," explained Sam Teehan from FWC.
Proceeds from SharkCon will benefit the Florida Aquarium shark and coral rehabilitation programs as well as OCEARCH Shark Expedition Research.
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