Sharks must employ some kind of powerhouse public relations firm.
They're in the news just about every week, and sometimes twice or thrice. The Great Whites spied eating a whale carcass in the Santa Barbara Channel? Yeah, that just happened.
But one can also get pretty close to sharks, as in touch-them close (yeah, um, though maybe not Great Whites). Smaller bamboo sharks are touchable, and human hands regularly stroke them at the Aquarium of the Pacific's Shark Lagoon.
It's cool, for sure, but sometimes the Shark Lagoon gets even cooler. Like when the Long Beach aquarium waives Friday night admission to the lagoon, and adds some listen-for-free live music in the mix.
They're called Shark Lagoon Nights and they're now on through the remainder of the year, almost every Friday night. That's almost, so check before you go. Also, weather plays a factor, too, so look for a fine LBC night. Sharks may dig the H20, but should it be falling from the sky, the human party shall be postponed.
We gave a hefty shout-out to the bamboo sharks, but let's give the love to other creatures in the Lagoon: Sand Tiger Sharks and rays are part of the watery exhibit, too. And, nope, you can't pet every shark there. Here's a good rule of thumb: The toothier the shark, the less likely you'll be in contact with it. And Sand Tigers? They're pretty dang toothy.
Pretty dang toothy=best admired from a distance.
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Shark Lagoon Nights are free, free, free. Just note that the rest of the aquarium is shuttered, so prepare to get your shark fully on. Oh, and your beer, wine, cocoa, or other bevs, too; those are for sale during the evening.
