FORT FISHER, N.C. — Aquarium enthusiasts with reserved tickets will have a unique opportunity to interact with the United States Explosive Ordnance Disposal and U.S. Navy divers.

On April 13, the divers will be in the 235,000-gallon Cape Fear Shoals habitat at The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher during Wilmington Navy Week. NCAFF will host four members of the Navy, who will engage with visitors underwater and at a special exhibit inside the marine building.

Cape Fear Shoals is home to Shelldon, the green sea turtle, two sand tiger sharks, a bonnethead shark, an eel, stingrays and a variety of other marine animals.

“We are honored to partner with the United States Navy to elevate the Aquarium immersive experience with visitors as one of the stops on their celebration of Navy Week. Seeing Navy EOD and Navy Divers in our largest habitat at the Aquarium will be very special for visitors, volunteers, and staff,” said Deyanira Romo Rossell, communications manager, NCAFF.

The Navy personnel who will dive into Cape Fear Shoals are Navy Diver First Class Joseph Onweller and Explosive Ordnance Disposal First Class Hunter Bridwell. Lt. Andrew Kuo will join an Aquarium educator in front of the habitat to share information about the Navy and Navy Diver Chief Kyle Weiss will join our dive supervisor at the top of the habitat. Once out of the water, the dive team will spend time with the community and showcase Navy EOD and Diver equipment, including the EOD10 bomb suit, the small underground remotely operated vehicles (ROV’s), and the Mark V and KM-37 dive helmets.

“Fleet visits are a tradition of the U.S. Navy to highlight the capabilities and contributions of our forces to Americans who would otherwise not have the opportunity to see us firsthand,” said Lt. Brittany Stephens, public affairs officer, United States Navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal Group 2. “We are looking forward to showing the people of Wilmington and the guests at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher who Navy EOD and Navy Divers are, what we do, and how committed we are to serving this country. Thank you to North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher and the City of Wilmington for your hospitality.”

Navy EOD and Navy Divers comprise the Navy Special Operations community. Navy EOD enable U.S. Navy forces to meet objectives around the globe by clearing explosive hazards in any environment, on land or water. Navy Divers provide mobile diving and salvage capability to conduct harbor clearance, salvage, underwater search and recovery, and underwater emergency repairs.