Aquarium divers share enthusiasm and stories about the animals in our care with Aquarium guests using underwater communication equipment while performing habitat maintenance and animal husbandry tasks.
Aquarium volunteer divers receive extensive training on the marine animals in our care and interpretive communication techniques.
The minimum time commitment required for volunteer divers is one three-hour shift every other week. All volunteers are required to successfully complete a criminal background check prior to beginning their service.
To be eligible for a volunteer diver position at the Seattle Aquarium, you must:
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Have obtained a minimum certification level of advanced open water diver.
- Have a minimum of 12 dives in local diving conditions within the last 12 months.
- Have a minimum of 50 lifetime logged dives.
- Have an up-to-date diver’s log.
- Successfully complete a checkout dive with our dive safety officer.
- Commit to a minimum of one three-hour shift every other week for at least one year.
- Attend volunteer orientation.
- Complete mandatory trainings for new divers.
- Complete an annual diver’s physical signed by an MD or DO (at your expense).
Apply to be a diver
Applications for the volunteer diver program will reopen later in 2026. Please check back later for more information.
We recommend applying at least one month before a checkout dive date to ensure enough time to brush up on your skills and/or gather needed gear. We host multiple checkout dives each year.
Checkout dives take place at the Seattle Aquarium from 9am–noon. Dives are subject to cancellation due to weather, staffing or other issues. We will communicate as far in advance as possible in the event of cancellation.
Dive program staff will review applications and select candidates to invite. Upon invitation, you are encouraged to sign up for the first checkout dive that works for you. Please see the FAQs for current checkout and orientation dates. Divers will be continuously invited to checkout dives for up to one year from the date of application. After one year, updated dive experience information will be requested.
If invited for a checkout dive, you must provide your own gear. See FAQs for full gear requirements.
Skill requirements for checkout dive
Surface skills:
- Pre-dive safety check with buddy
- Snorkel swim
- BC removal and replacement
- Weight belt removal and replacement
- Tired diver tow
Underwater skills:
- Regulator clearing and recovery
- Mask removal and replacement
- Air-sharing using an alternate air source (stationary and ascending)
- Emergency swimming ascent
- Neutral buoyancy hovering
- Underwater navigation
If you successfully complete the checkout dive, you’ll complete full face mask training and habitat orientation prior to diving in the habitats.
Questions? Email volunteers@seattleaquarium.org.
Frequently asked questions
What are your highest-need volunteer shifts?
Scheduling needs can vary and change depending on season, current volunteer availability and staffing needs. We do our best to work with volunteers to create individual dive schedules that work for both the volunteer and the needs of the Aquarium. As of early 2026, our current highest needs for volunteers are:
- Mid-week in the Underwater Dome (Pier 60)
- Every day in the Reef (Ocean Pavilion)
What are your current checkout dive and orientation dates?
Saturday, January 24
- Orientation dates: January 28 and January 31
Sunday, March 22
- Orientation dates: March 25 and March 29
To register for a checkout dive, interested divers must first apply and be invited by the Dive Safety Office. Registration for orientation will open for divers who successfully complete a checkout dive.
What does “cold/local water conditions” mean?
We are referring to water that is similar in temperature and visibility to Puget Sound. Our local waters range in temperature from 45–55°F (7–12°C) and visibility is typically less than 20 feet (6 meters).
Why do you require 12 cold/local water dives in the past 12 months in order to apply to the volunteer dive program?
Divers must be comfortable and confident in local water conditions to successfully complete the required skills. Additionally, two of the three habitats that volunteer divers currently work in are Puget Sound habitats, filled with cold, local waters. Successful completion of a checkout dive is the first step to becoming a volunteer diver here. Checkout dives take place in Elliott Bay off the Seattle Aquarium’s piers.
When should I apply?
You are welcome to apply at any time, so long as you meet the minimum requirements. Applications are accepted seasonally; please check this page periodically for open cycles. Prospective volunteers will be invited to checkout dives for up to one year from the date of application. Please note that your 12 cold water dives must be within the past 12 months from the date of your checkout dive. We recommend applying 6–8 weeks before the checkout dive you hope to attend.
What gear do I need?
For the checkout dive, prospective volunteers must provide a complete gear setup including:
- Cylinder
- BCD
- Regulator (including alternate air source)
- Mask and fins
- Snorkel
- Compass
- Depth gauge and/or computer
- Appropriate exposure protection
- Weights (including belt if needed)
As a diver in an Aquarium habitat, we provide most gear. Divers in our cold-water habitats provide their own exposure suits, fins and timing device. Divers in our tropical habitat only need to bring swimsuits.
Can I borrow an air tank for the checkout?
The Seattle Aquarium cannot provide any gear, including cylinders, for the checkout dive.
What kind of dive log is acceptable?
Dive logs don’t need to be formally signed or stamped. Paper logs, digital log printouts and logs kept in mobile apps are all acceptable.
Aquarium staff are looking for the following:
- How often you are diving
- Where you are diving
- What kinds of dives you go on
It is useful to have the following information:
- Date
- Dive site and location
- Max depth
- Bottom time
Why are only MD/DO signatures acceptable for dive physicals?
The Seattle Aquarium’s habitat diving is regulated by OSHA commercial diving standards. Dive physicals must be signed by an MD or DO to comply with these regulations. Other medical professionals such as PAs and ARNPs do not qualify.
You do not need to have a current physical in order to complete a checkout dive. Physicals must be submitted before your first dive in an Aquarium habitat.
