Still interested? The requirements follow:

● Must be at least 18 years of age

● Must not have a serious criminal record & be able to pass a standard background check

● Commit to a schedule of one four hour shift per week for 1 year. Some shifts begin early in the morning or late in the evening. We dive 7 days a week - multiple times a day. Keep in mind although it is very rewarding - it can be hard work and you will get wet dirty and cold!

● Open Water diving certification card by any international recognized organization

● Minimum of 20 logged dives on a Log Book is suggested

● Provide proof of current CPR, O2 provider, AED and First aid training (at your own expense)

● Diving Medical/Physical that includes chest x-ray that must signed off by a M.D (at your own expense).

● Have your own, Mask, Fins and Snorkel (SCUBA equipment and thermal protection is provided) Personal Wetsuits may be used but they must not have bright colors, must be in presentable condition and be suitable for the type of diving being done)

● Must be comfortable/high level of confidence in the water

● Must be willing to help cover the cost of the pool for confined water sessions- amount to be determined by number of participants

● Must be willing to cover the cost of a dive charter seat for an open water dive session and training (cost dependant upon boat but normally about $100).

● Complete CSC and department orientation

● Attend all training courses, lectures, and mandatory meetings

● Complete all dive logs

We estimate that the cost “recoup” of the expenses for the open water diving & training to be just under $200 per diver (generally estimated - probably much less in most cases – maybe a bit more in others - the exact figure depends on amount of divers involved in your sessions). This does not include the cost of any required certifications, personal equipment, or dive physical.

You would only be covering your end of hard expenses for resources that are outside of CSC staff and facilities. There is no charge for the use of the equipment or training provided by CSC or the Dive Safety team.

We have found that most medical insurance providers do cover the costs associated with the physical and associated testing, but please confirm that with your doctor and medical insurance provider beforehand. For those that are not insured, we have a few providers that estimate physical costs to be approx $200 if paid by cash.

Interested but have questions?

We will be conducting 4 Volunteer Diver information, orientation, and enrollment sessions at the CSC in June. This will give you the opportunity to meet members of the dive team, tour the facility, and clarify any questions that may remain. All volunteer divers must attend an information/orientation session prior to starting the process.


Info/orientation sessions:

Saturday June 5th @ 10:00am – 12:30pm.

Thursday June 10th @ 5:00-7:30 PM

Saturday June 12th @ 10:00am – 12:30pm

If you are interested but these dates will not work for you- please let us know and we will do our best to schedule other arrangements.

What does it take from there? What are the next steps?

We will follow this by pool session for a swim and dive assessment. The date is to be confirmed but is ‘tentatively’ set for the following:

Tuesday June 15th 5 pm - 9 pm (tentative)

Saturday June 19th 10 am – 2 pm (tentative)

There will be confirmation of theses dates and/or alternative pool session dates offered as soon as responses and availability of potential volunteers are received by our dive office staff.

We will follow the pool session by a dry refresher and general overview of scientific & aquarium diving.

These refreshers will be offered on varied days/dates in efforts to accommodate schedules of participants involved in each session. So the hard dates are to be determined, but we are trying to be as flexible as possible with the resources we have available.

Following the refresher – we will be going out on a local charter dive boat for 3 supervised open water dives at Catalina. We expect to offer open water dives on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays- depending on actual needs and availability of volunteer divers.

There will be confirmation of theses dates and/or alternative pool session dates offered as soon as responses and availability of potential volunteers are received by our dive office staff.

Ok - Then what?

Once these steps have been completed and you are approved by the California Science Center Dive Control Board- You will be an official volunteer dive team member and well on your way to becoming recognized as an “Aquarium Diver” with the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS). Upon completion of remaining dives, course work and lectures, you will be recognized as a Scientific Diver with the AAUS. Training that is prized and often hard to get!

Are you in?

Diving can be considered a potentially dangerous activity and thus all these steps are needed to ensure that every dive team member is properly trained for the tasks they will be completing. Of course, we must provide documents/documentation for this process.

The California Science Center is an organizational member of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) and follows the standards for scientific diving.

As a certified diver, it is likely that you have already fulfilled some of these requirements to enter the program.

If you need assistance navigating these forms or have further questions please do hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have.

We will need copies of current: Copy of all dive certifications, copy of CPR, AED, first aid, & oxygen provider certifications, completed/approved dive physical / medical, signed copy of scientific diver application, signed copy of liability releases, completed CSC volunteer application.

Here is a list of the forms we need:

* Scientific Diver Application
* Liability Release (please sign and date with pen)
* Highest level diver certification card
* AAUS Diver Medical (attached)
* CPR, First Aid, Oxygen certification cards (outside trainer referrals are available)

We understand that this is a substantial list that may take some time to complete and why we have some flexibility in the dates for pool and open water sessions.

We are dependent on volunteers to get work done and are dedicated to get you through the requirements. So if you have any questions or anything, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email.

All forms can be faxed, emailed, or sent via regular mail to the numbers and/or addresses below. If you have any problems with opening the attachments - please let us know.

Click HERE to access forms.

We look forward to diving with you!

Sincerely-

The CSC Dive Safety Team -

Capt Chris Wade, John Clippinger, James Cowley, & Alex Rapaport

Capt Chris Wade | Dive Safety Officer
California Science Center Foundation

California Science Center
700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90037
TEL: (213) 744-2051
FAX: (213) 744-7577
Email
California Science Center

***
John Clippinger | Asst. Dive Safety Officer
California Science Center
700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90037

TEL: (213) 744-2212
FAX: (213) 744-7577
Email
California Science Center