Jazzin’ Plus: That doesn’t look like a dolphin in the pool
At Shedd you can see more than 1,500 species, from crustaceans to cetaceans. Add another during Jazzin’: Aquapeople. They’re the scuba divers who weekly maintain the Oceanarium pools.
Ken Ramirez, executive vice president of animal programs and training, says, "We always do our cleaning dives at night. Over the years, we’ve found that guests really enjoy seeing us in the water, so during the summer, we purposely schedule dives during the peak time that people are in the Oceanarium for Jazzin’."
It’s okay to wave at the volunteer divers (who must be certified for cold-water dives) as they clean algae from the water side of the viewing windows—and they’ll probably wave back.
You may or may not see belugas or dolphins in the habitats during maintenance. (The whales and dolphins do love to swim with the divers.) "It depends on what we’re cleaning and whether or not we’re using our cleaning equipment," says Ken. "We have high-powered vacuums and brushes, and if we’re using those, we move the animals out of the exhibit. We don’t want to have to pay attention to where the animals are and where the cables and cords for the equipment are."
For more information and tickets to Jazzin' at the Shedd click here
Posted by Karen Furnweger, web editor
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