Any existing Adventure Aquarium volunteers?

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BalekFekete

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Location
Philadelphia, PA
# of dives
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I'm wondering if there are any current volunteers at Adventure Aquarium in Camdem, NJ on the boards here? My wife and I are considering putting in an application now that we are empty nesters, but would like to see if we can get a better idea of what the routine is before filling out the forms. Beuller.....Beuller....? :)
 
I've volunteered at the Adventure Aquarium for several years, but I'm on a bit of a hiatus right now. To become a volunteer you need to do a pool test, get a dive physical (and every year after), CPR cert., and drug test. Obviously you also need to be OW cert.

The routine is a mix of maintenance (e.g., scrubbing algae off rocks, vacuuming the bottom of the tank) and dive shows. The dive shows are fun because you get to wear a full-face mask with a microphone so you can talk to the kids outside of the tank.

People either really love it or get bored after awhile. If you are going to feel put out being asked to do a lot of maintenance, I wouldn't sign up. On the other hand, it is pretty cool cleaning rocks with a hammerhead shark swimming by! There's nothing quite like diving in tanks with that much sea life.

DM me if you have more questions. I can put you in touch with one of the dive safety officers if you you'd like.

Best,
 
I dive with 2 guys who volunteer there and my instructor is going to be joining the team. If thumbsplitter can't answer everything you need, PM me with your contact info and I'll try to put you in touch with them.

I did dive with one of the DSOs (whose name escapes me at the moment) up at Dutch. Nice guy who exuded quiet competence.
 
I dove with an instructor who was (still is?) in charge of the volunteer diver program. He said it can be a fun program, but they really want people who can make a reasonably long term commitment to a regular schedule (e.g. every Saturday). Apparently some folks get bored once the novelty wears off and stop coming, which makes his life hard.
 
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