Posted by msblucow on October 08, 2000 at 21:33:53:
In Reply to: Re: LB Aquarium ... volunteering? posted by RAP on October 08, 2000 at 20:51:37:
There are several folks who frequent this board who volunteer at the aquarium, I being the most recent. As far as applying to be a volunteer diver, here's what you need to know. At a minimum, the aquarium requires that you are rescue certified, have current Medic/First Aid training and have at least 50 logged dives. When you apply, they will ask you to take a written test on knowledge up through rescue certification, as well as a basic skills and bouyancy test in a pool. Once you're accepted, they want you to commit to volunteering 4 hours a week for a one-year period (It's a little more involved than that, but you get the basic idea).
I've only been volunteering at the aquarium a few weeks now, but I can already tell that I'm going to love it. Where else can you feed a giant Sheepshead and help clean out a tropical lagoon all in the same day? The best thing though is watching the little kids watch you through the glass. It's priceless. You can just tell by the look on their faces that they're just fascinated both by the fish and by the divers behind the glass. It really gives you hope that this spurs their interest in trying to preserve the world's oceans.