By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
As a politician and state representative, Haraz Ghanbari knows a thing or two about “swimming with the sharks.”
On Tuesday, he gained a whole new perspective from inside a shark tank at the Wood County Fair.
The 79,500-pound shark tank on wheels is one of the featured sideshows at this year’s fair.
Ghanbari, who is all about exploring the fair, doesn’t settle for just shaking hands and kissing babies. Since being appointed to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2019 and now serving his second term, he has experienced the Wood County Fair with a curious, adventurous, sometimes thrill-seeking attitude.
He did not grow up on a farm, but each year at the fair he has accepted new challenges. He’s tried walking a steer, wrangling a calf in a calf scramble, showing a goat, riding the rides and, of course, tasting many of the tempting fair foods.
“Of all the things I’ve done at the fair, I never dreamed I would experience sharks at the fair,” he said before diving into the tank.
An air compressor tank mishap before the show meant Felipe, the shark show host, had to use a snorkel rather than an air tank and mask. That didn’t stop the show.
With the “The Little Mermaid“ tune “Under the Sea” playing in the background, Ghanbari jumped in, feet first, wearing a wetsuit, shorts, his recognizable purple “HARAZ” T-shirt and American flag water shoes.
He also carried a 360-degree underwater camera to capture the experience from inside the tank (which he promised to post videos at some point on his Facebook page).
For about 15 minutes, Ghanbari swam alongside the two resident nurse sharks—10-year-old Rosita, who came to the show from a bathtub in Mexico, and 12-year-old Abby, who joined the show after living in a Florida aquarium.
After Felipe explained that nurse sharks are known to frequently lose some of their hundred-or-so teeth, Ghanbari spent time searching for a few of the missing teeth on the bottom on the tank.
He didn’t have much luck because the teeth were camouflaged in the sand at the bottom of the aquarium. However, “At one point, I was just lying on the bottom of the aquarium, and the two sharks were swimming right at me. It was an experience I never thought I would have. At 43 years old, I guess I can check it off my bucket list,” he said.
While swimming without an air mask was a little unnerving, Ghanbari wasn’t nervous, thanks to the detailed briefing he received from Felipe. “I guess I had to go back to my days of swimming in high school where I’d swim lengths underneath the pool as long as I could holding my breath to build stamina,” he said.
When asked if he would do it again, he quickly responded, “Absolutely, I would do it again.”
More fun shark facts
Where else can fairgoers learn that nurse sharks:
- May have gotten their names because when they eat, they sound like nursing babies.
- Are bottom-feeders and eat fish, shrimp, crabs and “their close cousins,” stingrays (which are part of an adjoining exhibit that allows fairgoers to touch a stingray).
- Can be “put into a trance-like state, like taking a nap” by being turned upside down, said Gabriela, who narrated the show when Felipe had to swim with a snorkel. “Sonic immobility doesn’t hurt the shark, but if Felipe doesn’t do it correctly, it can hurt him,” she said.
- Don’t have baby sharks (cue the “Baby Sharks” tune), but newborn sharks are called pups.
- Give birth to as many as one 20 pups per litter, and each pup can have a different daddy.
- Skin is rough, covered in tiny teeth-like scales called denticles. In ancient times their skin was used for sandpaper.
Additionally, the two resident sharks seem to like the traveling aquarium. “When another driver cuts me off and makes me swerve, it creates massive waves in the tank,” Felipe said. “It’s more like their natural habitat, and they like playing in here, surfing the waves, and having a really good time.”
“These are the kinds of facts that you wouldn’t expect to learn at the fair,” Ghanbari said. “Education is a key part of our fairs in Ohio.”
From the junior fair members who are learning about personal and professional growth through their 4-H and FFA projects to the fairgoers who learn about Wood County agriculture and beyond, “Everyone gets an opportunity to not only make good memories at the Wood County Fair but to expand on their education,” Ghanbari said.
The shark tank and stingray exhibit are located behind (south) the fairgrounds’ grandstand. The sharks can be seen in the tank during the regular fair hours, and the shows are scheduled at 1 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.
