Swimming with sharks at National Aquarium in Napier

Aquarist diver Amy Giddens runs reporter Astrid Austin through the Swim with the Sharks snorkelling activity at the National Aquarium of New Zealand.

It's safe to say nothing can prepare you for staring a shark in the eyes for the first time, let alone when no wall of glass separates you and the said flesh-eating creature.

What started out as an off-the-cuff joke, quickly turned into a reality - one I never planned on living out.

Walking through the 50m underwater travelator tunnel, I couldn't help but thinking, "what on earth am I getting myself in to?", as aquarist diver Amy Giddens cheerfully noted how friendly the multitude of creatures were.

"They're just like your average pet dog."

Not to mention the massive sevengilled shark, named Sarah, who at that moment decided to display her gills.

I didn't dare ask if there had been any injuries, let alone fatalities.

Before I knew it, I was led through the bowels of the aquarium, handed my wetsuit, flippers and snorkel and told the rules.

No touching anything, no diving down, minimal splashing and if I couldn't hear Amy, she would have a whistle on standby to make sure I did.

"Don't scare the sharks," she quipped, before quickly adding, "they're probably more scared of you."

From there, we then traipsed up the stairs to the top of the oceanarium.

The oceanarium contains three sevengill sharks, five elephant nose sharks, eight school sharks and 11 spotted smooth-hound sharks as well as stingrays, eels and a variety of fish.

In total, there are about 300 creatures in the oceanarium.

It's divided into a snorkelling area and an off-limits area, giving the marine life somewhere to go that swimmers cannot.

Turns out 19C is cold and I felt very grateful for my wetsuit, as I ventured past the concrete steps and into the fish bowl.

Despite my fear and trepidation, and my obvious reservations about having 3m sharks on either side, as well as a large eel lurking in the shadows, the fear soon washed away, quickly turning into absolute joy.

Although it did take a few goes, quickly swimming to the safety zone several times.

My 10-year-old sister was more keen than me to hop in, although we had to let her down gently - better to have two back-up sisters than one.

It is quite a freeing experience, side by side with the greatest underwater predators and one that 30 minutes prior I would never have dreamed I wouldn't want to leave, but submerged in the clear water I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

Call me crazy, but I wouldn't mind swimming with orca ... too far?

The National Aquarium is the only place in New Zealand where you can swim freely with the sharks, in a wetsuit rather than a cage.

Every day at 9am, 11am and 3pm, up to five swimmers are able to face their fears, don a snorkel and wetsuit and hop in a tank with the greatest underwater predators - all for $100 per person.

To find out more and book your turn, visit: https://www.nationalaquarium.co.nz/aquarium-experiences-and-facilities/swim-with-sharks/