For their application interview, they arrived in their SWAT vehicle and were outfitted in their army green BDUs (battle dress uniforms), complete with body armor vests. But the four were simply eager to put their scuba skills to use for the benefit of Shedd during their few off-duty hours, and they were quickly signed up for the marine mammal maintenance diving program. They were more than qualified, with both deep-water and cold-water experience in waterborne tactics and underwater stealth missions such as hull searches for bombs.

Each man has a special connection that has brought him to the Shedd dive team. Angel calls himself a "fishaholic." He enjoys all activities, including fishing, that involve him with aquatic life. John has always been drawn to the water. He’s a licensed boat captain and has worked on many ships, most recently at Navy Pier. Brian feels that the Shedd environment is all about the kids. He’s been a member for many years and visits with his children regularly. Neil began diving with his father, and he volunteered at Shedd during his college years, assisting in the lab to test water quality as well as diving in the then-new Oceanarium.

Trading their BDUs and body armor for BCDs (buoyancy control devices) and full-body wetsuits, they hit our waters armed with an array of cleaning gear. John notes that the algae scrubber machine at first was pretty tough to handle, even for SWAT guys, and it took a few tries until they could get it under their control. When Brian’s turn came to scrub an underwater gate with a brush, a curious Pacific white-sided dolphin watched, emitting her characteristic high-frequency clicking sounds. A beluga whale kept nudging Angel’s arm and then rolled over playfully, presenting a whale-sized distraction to the cleaning task at hand. Neil comments that the new beluga calf, Nunavik, is a miracle of life and attests to the importance of conserving our aquatic environment.

All four shake their heads in near resignation, however, when they describe diving in the penguin habitat. Comparing it to cave diving, but in a cave thick with penguin poop, the divers must scrape guano as they are buzzed by penguins zooming through the water. Despite these challenges, the divers from our local SWAT team are glad to be able to contribute their part to maintain these important Oceanarium exhibits.

Shedd is honored to have members of Chicago’s finest as part of our volunteer program!

Posted by Betty Goldberg, volunteer services manager and diver