Aquarium fishes guests out of the shark tank

Donors to an aquarium in New Orleans were invited to "make a splash this summer" when they were taken on an after-hours private tour of the shark tank earlier this week. But they got more of a splash than they bargained for.

Donors to an aquarium in New Orleans were invited to "make a splash this summer" when they were taken on an after-hours private tour of the shark tank earlier this week. But they got more of a splash than they bargained for.

The group was invited to stand on a steel platform used by keepers at the Aquarium of the Americas to feed the sharks, turtles, and schools of redfish and stingrays.

But the platform – not usually accessible to the public – collapsed and the select group of about 10 donors, plus their families, suddenly found themselves swimming with the sharks. One or two of them – including a two-year-old girl – came close to sleeping with the fishes.

"I was just praying none of the sharks got agitated from all of the splashing and everything. I mean, they got sharks in there bigger than me," one visitor, Dan Rooney, told reporters.

In the end, tragedy was averted. Nobody drowned, and nobody was nibbled by the aquarium's collection of nurse and sand tiger sharks. Two people were taken to hospital suffering from minor cuts and bruises, a spokeswoman said yesterday, but otherwise the greatest damage was inflicted to the aquarium's pride.