Tennessee Aquarium seeking volunteer divers

"Big Wave Dave" Reidenbach does a gear check before Chevalier goes underwater for the first time with the breathing apparatus.
"Big Wave Dave" Reidenbach does a gear check before Chevalier goes underwater for the first time with the breathing apparatus.

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Interested certified divers can apply at tnaqua.org/volunteer-opportunities/volunteer-diver.(New divers are brought in once a year.)

"Just put your face in the water and breathe."

I've always dreamed of swimming with the fishes. But when Dave Reidenbach - or Big Wave Dave, to those who know him - strapped me into diving gear that would have weighed 45 pounds out of the water, I was suddenly a little less certain that it could be that simple.

Reidenbach travels around the country to introduce anyone comfortable wading into water to try diving, hoping to prove to them it is just that easy. And he's right. By the end of my half-hour inaugural swim in a practice dive pool at the Tennessee Pavilion, I felt ready to take on deeper waters and see some fish, although I'm sadly still far from qualified to get to do so, since multiple steps, from course work to a dive test, are required for certification.

Big Wave Dave's purpose for passing through Chattanooga and setting up a 15,000-gallon "Go Dive Now" pool at the Chattanooga Market was about more than convincing people they could breathe underwater. It was a way to reach out to passionate divers who may want to gain the opportunity to experience incredible dives at downtown's doorstep, but are unaware of the opportunities to do so through the Tennessee Aquarium's Volunteer Dive Program.

The relationship between divers and the aquarium is a mutually beneficial one, says Communications Manager Thom Benson. The aquarium's extensive Volunteer Dive Program allows divers the guaranteed opportunity to get a close-up with some of the world's most fascinating creatures - including Stewie and Oscar, the two sea turtles who always insist on attention from their favorite daily divers - while doing important maintenance in the large tanks that make up much of the Ocean and River Journey buildings.

"You're guaranteed to see sand tiger sharks, you're guaranteed to see the colorful reef fish," says Mark Craven, the aquarium's program manager and dive safety operator, naming some of the many aquarium creatures the divers encounter each time. "Whereas when you pay to go on a dive boat, there's no guarantee what you'll see when you dive in. And for freshwater, there's no guarantee you can even see in the freshwater area where you're diving."

So, what is required of a volunteer diver?

First, the diver must already be a certified scuba diver with at least 25 dives' worth of experience after his or her certification. Twelve of those open-water dives must be from the past year.

"It's not like riding a bike," Craven says of scuba diving. "A diving certification is lifelong, but those skills get rusty. If you don't dive regularly, you have to brush up."

Also, divers must be trained in CPR, and pass Craven's written and swim tests to ensure everyone's safety during the aquarium's daily dives.

By February, interested divers who pass the safety tests will be brought in and put into groups of six with experienced volunteers and scheduled for monthly dive days.

"Basically, it's the best diving you could do this far inland and in this part of the country. And you are giving back to the community doing something you enjoy," Craven says. "In open water, when you step off the back of a dive boat, you first see fish fleeing from you. But here, they come to us."

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