Michigan couple David Balasa and Haley Wiewiora plunged into a tank full of sharks at the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri, on Dec. 15, 2025 — what Wiewiora believed was a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list dive that turned out to be a surprise proposal, according to the Springfield News-Leader.
Balasa told the local paper he’d been quietly planning for months to propose to his girlfriend of two years as a Christmas gift during their nearly week-long, multi-state Midwest road trip — saving the biggest moment for the final stop.
“I had no idea where we were going,” Wiewiora told the News-Leader. “When it comes to trips, I am the planner, I am the packer. He gets to be the little vacation princess, and he doesn’t really have to worry about it. But, I mean, he had every minute planned for our trip.”
Even though Wiewiora had a few suspicions — the two were already aligned that marriage was likely in their near future — she didn’t push too hard. Balasa had reassured her it wasn’t “a proposal trip.” So when he suggested they do a shark dive, she assumed it was simply another must-do activity along the way, unaware that the aquarium team was in on the surprise.
The attraction’s “Out to Sea Shark Dive” experience allows visitors to submerge into the 1.5-million-gallon aquarium without diver certification by using air helmets, according to the Wonders of Wildlife website. Inside a steel enclosure, participants ages 10 and up can “come face to face with sand tiger sharks, Atlantic goliath groupers, brown sharks and dozens of other colorful reef fish.”
Balasa and Wiewiora — who first connected after matching on the dating app Hinge — were both excited about the underwater adventure. And Balasa had a specific reason for choosing the setting: he wanted water to be part of the proposal because Wiewiora grew up near Lake Michigan and spent countless days on the water, with experience as a lifeguard and swim instructor, the News-Leader reported.
“I’ve always kind of been considered a fish out of water when it comes to stuff like that,” Wiewiora told the outlet.
When the moment arrived, the Wonders of Wildlife team had two signs ready: one asking, “Will You Marry Me?” and another announcing, “I Said Yes!” Sticking to the shark theme — and thinking practically — Balasa proposed with a ring box holding a shark tooth instead of diamond jewelry, saying he didn’t want anything valuable to slip away underwater.
“I, for sure, wasn’t expecting the proposal to happen while we’re in our Speedos,” Wiewiora said. “I was not at all expecting it to be an underwater proposal. He used to always say he’ll do it when the time is right. I did not know that that was what he meant, but it just kind of made sense for us. I mean, we made a promise to each other that whenever it rains, we go outside and dance in the rain.”
The surprises kept coming. Right after the proposal, Wiewiora’s family — whom Balasa had secretly arranged to drive out — was there to witness it from the exhibit’s viewing area, the News-Leader reported.
And Balasa still had one more reveal: a custom engagement ring designed with diamonds from Wiewiora’s grandmother’s ring and her late brother’s birthstone, with some of his ashes set behind it.
“I could just tell how much he takes note of how important my family is to me,” Wiewiora told the outlet. “We not only got to do really exciting, cool, new things, but we also still got to have a semblance of home, even though we were hours and hours away from home.”
Now, the newly engaged couple has shifted into wedding-planning mode — with their venue booked and a date already set.
