In the middle of a desert, Andy Pappas works with sharks! As the director of life sciences for Golden Nugget, he oversees the property’s 200,000-gallon shark tank aquarium. (He also oversees the 75,000-gallon aquarium inside the hotel’s seafood restaurant, Chart House.)
Pappas has spent almost two decades working with creatures of the ocean, starting off in Florida and then New Orleans. Joining Golden Nugget eight months ago, he’s found his happy place.
“I’m never bored here, there’s always something going on that I get to be a part of,” he says. “I get to diversify the roles for my staff, too, so they have other opportunities. I’m able to do the life support and husbandry, feeding, veterinary care and medicine.”
Pappas plays papa to more than a dozen sharks—including sand tiger, nurse, black tip and zebra sharks—inside the aquarium at the hotel’s large pool complex, The Tank Pool. Don’t miss Golden Nugget’s Shark Days, July 21-28, where guests get to watch shark feedings, talk with Pappas and his team, go on a Shark Tank scavenger hunt and more.
“I’ve always had an affinity for animals,” he says. “I’ve always been a water baby, and being able to work in the aquarium industry, being able to get close to a variety of species that you can’t necessarily do when you’re diving in open water and taking care of these animals—I love it.”
Libation: Shark Attack
After checking out the sharks and wading in the pool, order up The Tank Pool’s exclusive cocktail, Shark Attack. The summer sip is a mix of Bacardi Superior rum, Malibu coconut rum, DeKuyper blue Curaçao, pineapple juice, Sprite and muddled
cherries.
Benefit: Enjoy the Friday Night Swim with live DJs and bands every Friday night at the Tank Pool for free.
Golden Nugget. 702.385.7111. goldennugget.com
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