Actor Rob Schneider trains sharks, rays at Scottsdale aquarium

OdySea Aquarium, located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community just outside of Scottsdale, had a special guest trainer this past week in celebration of Shark Week: stand-up comedian and actor Rob Schneider.

Schneider, who studied marine biology in college, worked alongside OdySea Aquarium’s SeaTREK and shark teams, according to a press release.

The SNL alum went all-in helping prep animal diets as well as feed and train several aquatic species including a 7-foot zebra shark. The comedian willingly cut up fish, squid, and shrimp, accurately weighed the seafood, and divided it into appropriate portions for the rays and shark (closely related species, both elasmobranchs) that call SeaTREK home.

Schneider proved to be a natural with the animals, the press release stated.

The popular television/movie star was all smiles while feeding the cownose rays at the ledge of the exhibit and showed no fear getting in the water to target train the zebra shark.

When the training and feeding was complete, the newly minted “shark expert” and the OdySea team celebrated with an underwater SeaTREK experience that put Schneider even closer to the animals including cownose rays, Indo-Pacific tropical fish, a honeycomb moray eel, and his new friend, the zebra shark.

Thanks to SeaTREK’s state-of-the-art dive helmets, guests like Schneider can breathe freely while underwater during the guided tour teeming with fascinating sea life.

Wrapping up his “work-day” at OdySea Aquarium, Schneider concluded that the experience fulfilled his inner marine biologist dreams and is a day he will not soon forget, the press release stated.