Aquarium Dive Volunteers Help Further Knowledge on Our Ocean
To assist with conservation projects in local waters, a new team of volunteer divers has completed the Aquarium of the Pacific scientific diving program.
Two Aquarium divers take a step into the water off a dock. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
December 27, 2024
From helping a local endangered species to furthering knowledge of how our ocean temperature is changing, the Aquarium of the Pacific’s scientific divers are contributing to important conservation efforts. For the first time since the pandemic, the Aquarium has trained additional dive volunteers in this capacity.
Aquarium scientific divers are certified through the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS). Having dive volunteers trained to utilize SCUBA for scientific purposes allows the Aquarium to have more flexibility for those that go into the field. This above-and-beyond authorization enables these dive volunteers to assist the Aquarium’s team of aquarists with its conservation projects out in the ocean.
Various Aquarium conservation projects involve the use of SCUBA diving, including the out planting and surveying of endangered white abalone, conducting underwater assessments of species to see how populations are changing, and managing sensors for the Continental Thermograph Array Project, which allows ocean temperature data to be collected.
Sean Eckley, Aquarium of the Pacific’s dive safety officer for field operations, and Jaimee Butler, Aquarium of the Pacific’s assistant dive safety officer for field operations, instructed additional dive volunteers in this role in 2024 and are excited to involve them in upcoming fieldwork. Some of the skills trained included conducting transect surveys, refining navigation underwater, and learning how to swap temperature sensors. Both Eckley and Butler are looking forward to the next cohort of scientific diver trained volunteer divers.
Pictured from left to right: Aquarium Scientific Dive Volunteers Shaun Singer, Patrick Donahue, and James Ongaro Jr. and Aquarium Assistant Dive Safety Officer for Field Operations Jaimee Butler pose for a photo in their SCUBA dive gear while on a dock. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Since 1999 the Aquarium has regularly provided AAUS-approved training in underwater data gathering techniques to qualified paid and volunteer divers. Upon successful completion of the training, divers are eligible to participate in conservation projects such as research studies and underwater activities that are part of the Aquarium’s community outreach. For more information, please visit our scientific diver conservation page.
