Adult volunteers

Habitat interpreters share their enthusiasm and stories about Aquarium animals with our guests, answer questions and facilitate conversations to help people better understand the marine environment. Initially, habitat interpreters spend most of their time at our Life on the Edge touch pools and giant Pacific octopus habitat. With additional training, interpreters may move throughout the habitat galleries and focus on other habitats, such as Pacific Coral Reef, Underwater Dome, Birds & Shores and Marine Mammals.

Don’t know much about marine animals and their habitats? You can still serve as a habitat interpreter! To prepare for time spent in our habitats, all Aquarium volunteers receive extensive training on our marine animals and interpretive communication techniques. Volunteers are assigned to a team of eight to 15 volunteers and led by a staff marine science interpreter, who shares the important work of actively engaging our guests.

The minimum time commitment required for habitat interpreters is one four-hour shift every week for a minimum of six continuous months; shifts begin at 9am, 11am and 2pm seven days a week. New volunteers must complete the full series of new volunteer training to begin. All volunteers are required to successfully complete a criminal background check prior to beginning their service and must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
 

Spring Orientation And Training

All volunteers must attend an orientation. Orientations are currently hosted via Zoom. Our next orientations are scheduled for:

• Saturday, April 15, 10–11:30am
• Tuesday, April 18, 6–7:30pm

To RSVP for an orientation, email volunteers@seattleaquarium.org at least three days prior to the orientation date.

Following orientation, each prospective volunteer must complete an interview. Interviews will be scheduled the week following orientation, are typically 20−30 minutes long and take place via Zoom.

If accepted, all habitat interpretation volunteers must complete the training series. Volunteers who cannot complete the training series should wait for a future onboarding cycle.

Interviews: Scheduled between Friday, April 21 and Tuesday, April 25. Each prospective volunteer is required to complete one 20-minute virtual interview.

Volunteer support and safety training: Tuesday, May 2 from 6–8pm. This training will be recorded and does not have to be completed live.

Life on the Edge habitat training: hosted on select dates (listed below), 9am−3pm. These trainings take place at the Seattle Aquarium in our classroom and habitat spaces. Volunteers only need to attend one Life on the Edge habitat training:

• Sunday, May 7
• Wednesday, May 10
• Saturday, May 13
• Sunday, May 14

Ready, Set, Swim: hosted on select dates, 6−9pm. These trainings take place at the Seattle Aquarium in our classroom and habitat spaces. Volunteers only need to attend one Ready, Set, Swim training:

• Monday, May 22
• Wednesday, May 24
   

Habitat interpretation shifts will begin the week of May 29 for new volunteers.

At this time, we do not have any openings for evening event habitat interpreters.

We anticipate having limited openings for evening event habitat interpreters in fall 2023; if you're interested in joining us for this role, please check back in August.

The Aquarium hosts a variety of evening events, including fundraisers, weddings and corporate gatherings. Evening event habitat interpreters answer questions and facilitate conversations to help guests better understand the marine environment. People in this role primarily serve at our Life on the Edge touch pools, giant Pacific octopus habitat and Closer Look table. Depending on the event and training level of the volunteer, evening event habitat interpreters may serve at other habitats such as Pacific Coral Reef, Underwater Dome, Birds & Shores and Marine Mammals. Additionally, evening event habitat interpreters may support the operation of the event, including greeting guests, providing tours and other tasks.

Evening event habitat interpreters work with one to 10 other volunteers and are led by a staff marine science interpreter, who shares the important work of actively engaging our guests. The minimum time commitment required for evening event habitat interpreters is two shifts a month for a minimum of six continuous months. Shift start times vary by event, but typically begin between 5pm and 8pm and may be two to five hours long. All volunteers are required to successfully complete a criminal background check prior to beginning their service.

Aquarium divers share enthusiasm and stories about our animals with Aquarium guests using underwater communication equipment while performing habitat maintenance and animal husbandry tasks. Aquarium volunteer divers receive extensive training on our marine animals 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 and must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

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. The ideal candidate will have 50−100+ 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 (at your expense).

Please note that meeting the minimum eligibility requirements of the program does not mean you’ll be invited to a checkout dive. Each round of training has a limited number of training slots, and those divers with the greatest amount of experience and whose schedules match current dive openings will fill these positions first. If not selected for a checkout dive, you’re encouraged to apply again in the future.

To be considered for the upcoming orientation and checkout dive, please complete the diver experience form below and return it via email to volunteers@seattleaquarium.org. Checkout dives are scheduled based on the need for volunteer divers and staff availability. We anticipate hosting five checkout dives in 2023. 

Diver experience form

After experience forms are reviewed, invitations to orientation and the checkout dive will be extended to select divers. For volunteer divers, the checkout dive will take the place of the in-person interview after orientation.

If invited for a checkout dive, you must provide your own gear. Once you become a volunteer diver at the Aquarium, you’ll only need to provide mask, fins and exposure suit.

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 swimmers carry
• 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 (dates to be determined). 

At this time, we do not have any life sciences volunteer openings. All openings are offered first to individuals actively volunteering with the Seattle Aquarium.

Life sciences volunteers assist animal care staff with a variety of tasks, including habitat maintenance, diet preparation, feeding and monitoring animal behavior, and special projects. All life sciences volunteers must complete new volunteer orientation and the new volunteer training series.

The minimum time commitment required for life sciences volunteers is one 4-hour shift per week for one continuous year. Shift times vary based on placement. All volunteers are required to successfully complete a criminal background check prior to beginning their service and must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

General requirements:

• Must be willing to learn and be flexible with daily routines.
• Must have a strong desire to participate in all husbandry tasks and observe animal behavior.
• Must be willing to interact with and educate guests by answering questions and presenting information in an appropriate manner to support the Aquarium’s mission.
• Must take direction well and easily accept constructive feedback.
• Must be able to work well with others, work independently if needed and follow verbal or written directions.
• Must be reliable with attendance and report missed shifts in a timely manner.

BIRDS AND MAMMALS TASKS:

Clean and maintain bird and mammal habitats, prepare diets and vitamin supplementation, conduct animal observations, and other cleaning and sanitation tasks. May assist with bird and mammal feedings, enrichment and special projects on an as-needed basis under staff discretion and supervision only. No direct, physical animal contact or training of animal behaviors is permitted.

COLD-WATER FISH AND INVERTEBRATES TASKS:

Clean and maintain fish and invertebrate habitats and holding areas. Assist with feedings, enrichment and special projects on an as-needed basis under staff direction and supervision only.

WARM-WATER FISH AND INVERTEBRATES TASKS:

Clean and maintain fish and invertebrate habitats and holding areas. Assist with feedings, enrichment and special projects on an as-needed basis under staff direction and supervision only.

The Seattle Aquarium occasionally has need for volunteers to fill additional roles. Information on those roles will be posted here as openings develop.