# The Florida Aquarium: Coastal Holiday Celebration & Diving Santa

> Place to go for families in the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater area (FL). Times are Eastern Time.

- When: Daily in December; 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM; Scuba Santa dives select times 11:30 AM & 2:00 PM
- Dates: Sat, Dec 5 – Thu, Dec 31
- Where: The Florida Aquarium, 701 Channelside Dr, Tampa, FL 33602
- Ages: All ages; scuba diving Santa and touch pools ideal for all age groups; stroller friendly
- Price: Included with regular aquarium admission ($32–$36); free for ages 2 & under
- Schedule: Daily in December; 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM; Scuba Santa dives select times 11:30 AM & 2:00 PM
- Organizer: The Florida Aquarium Inc.
- Official page: https://www.flaquarium.org/tickets/
- Last checked: Wed, Nov 4

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Nov 11, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-11-10), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/tampa/activities/the-florida-aquarium-coastal-holiday-celebration-and-diving-santa--listing-56dd85af9906f3ec0f35c7cf

## About

Celebrate a subtropical holiday season at The Florida Aquarium in Tampa's Channelside District. Throughout December, kids can watch Santa Claus strap on scuba gear to plunge into the 500,000-gallon Coral Reef habitat, swimming alongside sand tiger sharks and sea turtles while communicating with children through special dive masks.

Families can participate in holiday scavenger hunts through the wetlands gallery, meet African penguins up close, and enjoy outdoor water fun at the zero-depth Splash Pad. Strollers and wheelchairs navigate effortlessly throughout both climate-controlled levels.

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