Aquarium Diving

[DiverDante]

I just finally got around to reading the June issue of California Diver Magazine and there's an article on diving in the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Does anyone know of other aquariums that let rec divers into their tanks? I'm wondering if maybe the Monterey Bay Aquarium or others have similar programs that either allow recreational divers in their tanks, or need volunteers. Looks like a unique dive experience.

 

[Teamcasa]

Try these guys. http://www.californiasciencecenter.org
Ongoing Opportunities

 

[HiQPen]

Aquarium of the Pacific also takes volunteer divers, if they qualify:

Volunteer Opportunity

 

[beepbird]

The Georgia Aquarium has a Whale shark dive and the Maui Ocean Center has a shark dive.

 

[Dive California]

When you do the Long Beach Aquarium (Aquarium of the Pacific) dive, you get to dive with Zebra sharks and Bonnetheads (small hammerheads).

 

[fxholt]

The one in Denver actually does that too.

 

[divebob50]

Mandalay Bay hotel in Vegas will let you dive the Shark Reef aquarium. Its pricey though. $650 and that doesn't include a room.
You can dive The Living Seas at Epcot in Orlando, which I have done a couple of times, though not recently.
Along with diving with creatures you rarely, or never get to see in the wild, interacting with the aquarium visitors on the other side of the glass in lots of fun!

 

[dytis-sm]

UPDATE on Long Beach Aquarium Diving...

I just went to an orientation meeting and there is a little more to it than just showing up and wanting to dive with cool fish. The volunteers do get to feed the fish and pick teams (project) to work with but there are tests (similar to certification tests), physical exam, and other formalities to commit. They also want you to commit for at least a year and 75% attendance. In return they provide you with a fun way to dive and some scientific diving certifications after one year of service.

The requirements are Rescue certification and at least 50 dives. There is a swim/scuba test similar to a divemaster test (scaled down), and training classes.

Definitely a cool place to dive...

 

[3D diver]

Marineland in Palos Verdes used to let you dive in their shark tank/cage. $25 for 25 minutes. Long gone now.

 

[scjoe]

Keep in mind that AOP and the Science Center are usually looking for weekday divers. Lots of people can volunteer for the weekends. 3 weekdays (or nights) a month for a year can be a pretty big time commitment.