I went shark diving in the middle of Denver, Colorado. It was surreal to see the massive animals in my landlocked state.

Living in Denver, Insider reporter Monica Humphries is surrounded by nature and plenty of outdoor activities to do – from hiking and backpacking in the summer to skiing and snowboarding in the winter. But there's one nearby adventure that not a lot of Denver-ites know about: shark diving.

Located in the heart of the city, the Downtown Aquarium offers a surreal thrill for certified divers who want to get up close and personal with 10-foot-long sand tiger sharks, 14-foot-long sawfish, and more. For those who aren't dive-certified but want to get close to sharks, the aquarium also offers cage diving.

Humphries, with her SCUBA certification in hand, takes a quick drive to the Downtown Aquarium for her first-ever shark diving adventure.