Aquarium diving staff members Julie Wooten, Nick Fash, Jose Bacallao, Vicki Wawerchak (left to right) with the DAN portable oxygen unit. Photo: Heal the Bay

Care and maintenance of the animals at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium may seem straightforward: feed the animals regularly, provide them with a clean, healthy environment, and they will thrive. But like the ocean we all work to protect, there is much below the surface.

Senior Aquarist, Jose Bacallao, has established a diving and collections program that is integral to the health and well being of all the animals that are the foundation of the public and education programs at the Aquarium – and protects the diving staff as well. Jose and assistant aquarist, Julie Wooten, dive weekly to collect food — mainly algae — and also to collect animals as needed for Aquarium exhibits. A consistent weekly collection trip has become part of the aquarists’ department protocol.

Organisms are collected in a variety of methods, like fishing by hook and line, using seine nets along the shoreline and with traps. But, diving each week is necessary to provide the algae that about 40 percent of the Aquarium marine life need to survive.

And while Jose admits this part of his job can be glamorous - picture a crystal clear day in Malibu, 80 degrees, as you SCUBA dive through the kelp beds— there are many more weekly dives that include hauling bulky, heavy equipment up and down steep grades to a rocky shore along Palos Verdes, where bone-chilling temperatures and stomach-turning swells await our aquarists.

Through Jose’s efforts, all Aquarium staff dives follow established procedures to ensure safety. The dive staff, which currently includes Jose, Julie, Director Vicki Wawerchak, and Educator Nick Fash, are not only SCUBA dive certified, but also hold certification in rescue, dive first aid, and in oxygen administration. Collection diving trips always include two staff members - no one dives alone. And thanks to continual safety training, Aquarium divers are prepared to administer oxygen in case of an emergency.

Jose recently wrote a grant proposal for a portable oxygen unit. In December, the oxygen unit was awarded to the Aquarium by the Divers Alert Network, known as DAN, which is a non-profit scuba diver safety association. The oxygen unit now accompanies diving staff each time they head for the water. Studies have shown that injured divers who are provided with supplementary oxygen at the scene of the dive have a higher rate of recovery from diving accidents, Jose explained.

The Aquarium also partners with other marine centers to support one another’s exhibits and dive programs. Jose and Julie dive with staff from the SEA Lab of Redondo Beach, and also trade animals with the Catalina Island Marine Institute, the SEA Lab in Redondo Beach, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro, the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, and the Roundhouse Aquarium in Manhattan Beach.

The diving program at the Aquarium also includes a space devoted to the cleaning and storage of the diving equipment. An area to hose down and hang up equipment and a dive locker for storing gear were recently built by Jose.

Jose is also writing a diving safety manual specific to the needs of the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.

“I’m really lucky to work with such a great bunch of folks,” Jose said. “I love to dive, love the ocean, and can’t wait to get back in it.”