Oklahoma Aquarium Contest Winners Prepare To Dive Into Bull Shark Tank

For a sixth year, the Oklahoma Aquarium is allowing people from the community to swim with its bull sharks. The winners will take the plunge Saturday evening, August 12.

Robert Smith and Thomas Martin were the two names drawn in the "Dive with the Bull Sharks" contest. Both are certified scuba divers.

"You know I am not getting younger, so why not try something out of your comfort zone a little bit," said Smith.

Martin echoed that sentiment saying, "It is going to be something I cherish forever, and (it's) definitely going on the brag board."

Martin flew in from Minneapolis for the dive but is originally from Tulsa. "I have been entering this contest really since the inception of it," Martin said.

Martin comes from a family of divers and said he received his scuba diving certification in 2015. "I have always been kind of the adventure thrill seeker of the family," he added.

His underwater trips have taken him to some pretty incredible places, but never face to face with sharks.

"Getting up close and personal in a safe and controlled environment with the sharks," Martin continued saying, "I do not know of any other opportunities where you are in chain mail and right there."

Smith will join him in the tank. He is from Tulsa and has been diving since 1977.

"I was looking for a hobby or something to do and I just thought, well scuba diving might be something interesting," he said.

Smith entered the "Dive with the Bull Sharks" contest never expecting to win. "It was just so hot in Oklahoma that I was just looking for an indoor pool to cool off," he said.

All jokes aside, his hobby has taken him all over the world, but Smith said his biggest dive will be in his own backyard.

"They are just magnificent creatures," he continued saying, "through the Plexi glass you can just see their eyes and it is just amazing. I think it is going to be a fun experience."

The dive will happen after aquarium hours. Smith and Martin will be wearing a 40-pound, $6,000 chain mail shark armor dive suit.

Fees to enter the contest help fund more than 300 kids' visits to the aquarium at no cost.