Santa Claus joins sharks for a holiday swim at a Rio de Janeiro aquarium – WPLG Local 10
WEATHER ALERT
Associated Press
Published:
Updated:
Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO – Santa Claus has arrived in Rio de Janeiro — under water.
Starting on Saturday, he’ll be spotted at AquaRio Marine Aquarium swimming with sharks during their daily fish feeding sessions as part of the city’s Christmas festivities.
Nine-year-old Guilherme Martins Matos said he’d seen Santa — or at least an impersonator — at the mall. That was cool, he said, but this was better.
“Imagine him under water feeding the fish? It’s even cooler,” Guilherme told The Associated Press.
This version of Santa Claus is Felippe Luna, 39, a senior animal handler at AquaRio. What began as a joke among staff has become an annual tradition.
Dressed as Santa, Luna dives into the aquarium’s 924,602-gallon tank to feed marine animals, including sharks. “For the kids, seeing Santa Claus under water is already incredible. And Santa feeding a shark by hand? That’s unforgettable,” Luna said.
The Santa Claus dive runs daily at AquaRio through Dec. 25 at 1:30 p.m.
____
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Recommended Videos
TV Listings
Email Newsletters
RSS Feeds
Closed Captioning / Audio Description
Contact Us
Careers at WPLG
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Public File
FCC Applications
EEO Report
Do Not Sell My Info
1.0 Host Exhibit
If you need help with the Public File, call (954) 364-2526.
Copyright © 2024 Local10.com is published by WPLG INC., a Berkshire Hathaway company.
