Fins to the left

It may have been the greatest day of his life. 

We stood just feet from the edge of the water, gazing down into the world's largest salt water aquarium habitat, a 6.3 million gallon shark tank that is home to four whale sharks and a host of other black tip reef sharks, sand sharks, manta rays, "sawsharks" (the largetooth sawfish that Caleb deemed his favorite) and other sea life.

It was feeding time at the Georgia Aquarium, and the sharks repeatedly swam right up to the edge of the tank, their fins breaking the surface of the water where we stood in a gesture Caleb was certain meant they were trying to say hi. So he waved back every time, and kept reminding us that in his shark hat, they probably thought he was a shark as well.

We stood there for nearly a half an hour while the workers climbed into their boats and headed out to give the sharks their breakfast. Caleb got a private lesson on what they eat (vitamins just like him!) and later wandered behind the scenes of all the exhibits, getting a back stage view of belugas, baby sharks, the coral reef, and even petting the starfish.

Special thanks to our very special tour guide for making this birthday present one our shark-loving little guy will never forget.