This man may or may not have had been drugged at James Barthloet’s Bday party
Wearing nothing except a large smile, a man jumped into the largest exhibit at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada in downtown Toronto late Friday and swam among sharks before security asked him to leave — but it didn’t end there.
One minute-long video posted on YouTube shows the man taking off his clothes and diving into the Dangerous Lagoon, a 2.9-million-litre tank that offers an underwater gallery to dozens of marine animals.
The naked man can be seen doing the breaststroke on the surface of the water while sand tiger sharks swim within centimeters of his feet.
Green saw fish, green sea turtles, green moray eels and other species of tropical fish are also housed in the tank, according to the aquarium’s website.
Security at the popular tourist attraction asked the man to leave shortly before 10:30 p.m. ET but he refused, said Jenifferjit Sidhu, a spokesperson for Toronto Police Service.
Instead, he swam to the edge of the enclosure and emerged from the tank before doing a backward flip into the water, she told CBC Toronto on Monday.
Visitor Erinn Acland said she heard the “big splash” and thought the trainers were feeding the sharks. As Acland and her boyfriend approached it, she said, they saw a man in the water.
“The guy seemed totally relaxed and there were sharks like everywhere,” she told CBC Toronto. “He appeared to be totally nude and like laughing.”
Acland described the display as unexpected and horrifying.
“I don’t know what would possess someone to do that. It’s totally insane to me,” she explained.
“I was scared I was going to witness the death of this guy.”
A video by a visitor who captured the man’s aquatic adventure has received more than 5,000 views on YouTube.
On-site security called police, said Sidhu.
