Diving in the Giant Ocean Tank is hard work. Divers need special certification. They need to be able to identify the many different species of ray, sea turtle, eel, and fishes in order to provide the food and care that the animals need. They need to be fairly agile in the water to navigate the knobby reef. And there’s also all that gear to lug around.  

Let’s talk about that gear. Since a diver’s critical work area is 23 feet deep, they need lots of equipment to help them breathe  and move around under water. Here are just a few of the pieces we use during each and every dive.

Here’s a complete list of all the gear we need during each dive:

• Wetsuit and booties — to stay warm during a 30- to 45-minute dive in 74-degree water
• Mask — to see all the beautiful fish
• Fins — to get around
• Buoyancy Compensator Device (BCD) — the vest that holds the tank and helps regulate buoyancy at different levels of the water column, or…
• Harness – same function as the BCD though without the air bladder; Only used by experienced GOT divers
• Lead weights — to help divers sink in their wetsuits
• Tank with regulator — to hold and deliver air to divers while underwater

We’d love to show off all our gear. You can even ask us questions about scuba diving in the tank during the special presentation at 2:30 p.m. every day! Come visit during school vacation.