As We See It

[The Backstory]

Even underwater, Santa takes requests for presents

Image
An underwater Santa Claus greets Alexis Libaste, 3, of Henderson, as her mother Ashley looks on at the Silverton Casino Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada December 8, 2013. The underwater Santa and his helpers greet visitors and take present requests from inside the casino’s 117,000-gallon aquarium on weekends in December until Christmas.
Photo: Steve Marcus

Olivia Krause, 4, and her sister Tori, of Elko, Nev. show their wish lists to Santa Claus at the Silverton Casino Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada December 8, 2013. The underwater Santa and his helpers greet visitors and take present requests from inside the casino's 117,000-gallon aquarium on weekends in December until Christmas.

Underwater Santa | Silverton Casino Lodge | December 8, 2013

Well, you can’t sit on Santa’s lap at the Silverton, but it’s still one of my go-to destinations for Santa spotting during the holiday season. And even underwater, Santa does take requests for presents through an assistant outside the tank with a microphone and a special underwater mic so he can respond. Some children came prepared with wish lists written out so they could just place it against the wall of the tank for Santa to read.

Maybe it’s not that surprising that underwater Santas are fairly common. In Hawaii, scuba divers can take photos underwater with Santa at Jack’s Diving Locker’s scuba pool. And there are a variety of places around the world that feature underwater Santas, including aquariums in San Francisco, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea and Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, where Santa swims through the shipwreck every Saturday and Sunday at 4:15 p.m. through Christmas Eve.

Share
Photo of Steve Marcus

Steve Marcus

Steve Marcus got his first camera when he was 10-years-old. He worked for the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff, Arizona ...

Get more Steve Marcus
Top of Story