Aquariums invite guests to get close to sea life

Virginia Beach, Va. — Swim with the sharks, splash with the seals and get a kiss from a sea lion.

Aquariums around the country are inviting visitors to get wet with the creatures they’ve come to see. The Harbor Seal Splash at the Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach permits guests to step down onto submerged rocks in the seal tank as seals splash through the water with their trainer, while the Maui Ocean Center in Hawaii and the Florida Aquarium in Tampa Bay offer scuba divers a chance to cavort underwater with sharks.

At the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, octopuses reach out and touch participants in the “Animal Encounters” program, while Lea the sea lion has been known to blow a kiss. Dolphins Plus in Key Largo and Discovery Cove in Orlando also offer swimming with dolphins.

None of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences comes cheap, however — shark dives run $190 in Maui, while the two-hour Harbor Seal Splash at the Virginia Aquarium is $125.

And while the activities are promoted as safe, fun and educational, animal rights activists have criticized a number of “swim with dolphins” programs, contending that the interaction is stressful and ultimately harmful to the animals.

North Dakota attracts Norwegian travelers

Grand Forks, N.D. — When Norwegians pack their bags, they may be heading to North Dakota.

The state was the fifth most-popular destination for Norwegians vacationing in the United States, after Florida, California, Washington, D.C., and Minnesota, according to travel surveys by the national Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet and a travel industry magazine, Standby.

Char Brekke, owner of Brekke Tours and Travel in Grand Forks, said Norwegians are drawn to the area because 40 percent of North Dakotans report some Norwegian heritage.

“Norwegians are interested in meeting the people here who have ties to Norway,” Brekke said.

“It seems somehow or some way they get invited to someone’s home for dinner,” said Fred Walker, North Dakota’s international marketing director.

Minot’s annual Norsk Hostfest is a big draw, and the Heritage Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead, Minn., attracts Norwegians who want to trace their heritage, Walker said.