Julie Larsen Maher©WCS
Volunteer with the New York Aquarium Dive Team!
Between tending to our animal habitats, interacting with our visitors, and assisting with various tasks that might require underwater support, we do over two thousand dives a year.
As a volunteer diver you would...
- Perform underwater cleaning and maintenance of enclosures, ensuring habitats remain safe and suitable for animals
- Maintain cleanliness and organization of dive equipment, supplies, and facilities
- Engage with and educate the public about ongoing exhibit maintenance, diving, and aquarium activities
- Contribute to the mission of the Wildlife Conservation Society and New York Aquarium
- Gain more experience and more training as a diver
You can do all of those things at the same time as a volunteer member of the New York Aquarium Dive Team!
General Requirements
- Volunteers must be at least 21 years of age
- Able to commit to volunteering in person at the New York Aquarium for one full-day shift every other week for at least one year. Dive volunteer days are Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
- Certified scuba diver from an internationally recognized agency, rescue diver certification preferred.
- Minimum of 25 logged dives including at least 3 logged in the past 12 months.
- Ready to collaborate with a diverse group of divers from all over the tri-state area
- Participate in continuing educational courses including CPR, rescue scenarios, animal specific trainings, etc.
- The New York Aquarium is open 365 days of the year (including holidays) and we look for volunteers that have some flexibility in scheduling.
Application Process
All interested volunteers must submit an application to the program, which will be reviewed by our team. Selected applicants will be invited to interview. We accept applications on an ongoing basis, however, onboarding occurs once per year, generally in the spring.
Below is the timeline for 2026:
- Online Orientation 1: March 31
- Online Orientation 2: April 30
- Final day a Dive Team application can be submitted to be considered for the 2026 onboarding season: May 1
- All applications received after May 1, 2026 will be considered applications for the 2027 cycle
Accepted Volunteers Onboarding Process
If accepted into the training class, volunteers must complete the following:
- Dive medical clearance form
- Submit a copy of highest level dive certification card & a copy of the last 25 pages of dive log
- A background screening (provided by WCS); a US social security number is required for background screening
- An orientation and training session, a successful checkout dive, and a quiz covering the diver handbook
- Digital paperwork including signing a volunteer agreement, volunteer handbook, WCS Code of Conduct, and a self-paced sexual harassment prevention training
