Yoga With Sharks makes a splash at Mandalay Bay

Downward dog, meet disinterested shark.

Yoga With Sharks, the new wellness experience at Mandalay Bay, is a far cry from the adorable chaos of puppy yoga. There’s absolutely zero curiosity shown by the 23 species who make their home in the Shark Reef Aquarium’s Shipwreck exhibit.

The sharks can see through the four large windows into the Seascape Ballroom, aquarium director Adrienne Rowland confirms. They’re just seemingly apathetic when it comes to the foldable entrees stretching before them.

Relax with the sharks

“They can’t get out, right?” a participant asks as the hourlong class begins.

For a program that sounds like it could have been the title of a cheesy horror movie, Yoga With Sharks is surprisingly calming. It’s about as peaceful an environment as you can find on the Strip.

Throughout the 60-minute session, from the breath work to the deep fascia stretches, the inhabitants of the 1.3 million-gallon Shipwreck glide by effortlessly.

As your mind starts to drift, you notice that one of the passing animals looks more like a catfish than a typical shark. That’s a zebra shark, Rowland explains later, also known in some parts of the world as a leopard shark.

“We have really great success with breeding zebra sharks,” she says. So much so that Shark Reef is one of the biggest contributors to Indonesia’s StAR Project, a “rewilding” effort in which staff members known as shark nannies watch over eggs as they hatch. The pups are then cared for as they grow up before they’re tagged and released into protected natural habitats.

“Shark Reef Aquarium was actually the first facility in the U.S. (to participate) back in 2023,” Rowland says. “We’ve now sent over 30 eggs.”

A massive green sea turtle meanders by from time to time at a bit of an angle. That’s OD, named after Ocean Diver, the boat that rescued him while he was suffering from a collapsed lung in the Florida Keys in 2008. After being treated at the nearby Turtle Hospital, OD wasn’t healthy enough to be released back into the wild. He was flown to Shark Reef in 2013 for his long-term care and is one of three green sea turtles that call the saltwater paradise home.

You’ll need to book early

“This is the newest guest experience we offer,” Rowland says of Yoga With Sharks. “We still have our really great ones, like our feed programs where you can feed the stingrays in the morning before we open.”

Those zebra sharks and sea turtles also are part of Shark Reef’s feeding programs.

The annual Hallow-Reef celebration, featuring trick-or-treating and $5 admission for costumed children between the ages of 5 and 12, is set for Oct. 30-31.

Santa in the Shipwreck will return in December, complete with Santa Claus, Santa Jaws and Scuba Santa.

“After Santa’s done taking photos with the kids,” Rowland says, “he takes a dive with his shark friends before going back to the North Pole.”

If the early results are any indication, Yoga With Sharks should join those as regular offerings.

The first session in August was something of a soft opening, and September’s session had several attendees sign up that morning. The October event, scheduled for Saturday, is sold out.

Tickets for Yoga With Sharks on Nov. 14 and Dec. 12 are on sale. Additional sessions are planned for 9:30 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month. Tickets are $49, which includes admission to the Shark Reef Aquarium following yoga.

For tickets and more information, see mandalaybay.mgmresorts.com.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567.