Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Seattle Aquarium! As conservation leaders, our volunteers contribute significantly through a variety of roles to the Aquarium’s mission, Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment.
The volunteer opportunities described below are for adults who are 18+ and not enrolled in a high school, Running Start or homeschool program at time of application. For more information about our youth programs, please visit our Youth Ocean Advocates page.
Adult Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Habitat Interpretation
Habitat interpreters share their enthusiasm and stories about Aquarium animals with our guests, answer questions and facilitate conversations to help people better understand the marine environment.
Volunteer Divers
Aquarium divers share enthusiasm and stories about the animals in our care with Aquarium guests using underwater communication equipment while performing habitat maintenance and animal husbandry tasks.
Evening Event Habitat Volunteer Interpreters
At this time, we do not have any volunteer openings for this position.
The Aquarium hosts a variety of evening events, including fundraisers, weddings and corporate gatherings. Evening event habitat interpreters answer questions and facilitate conversations to help guests better understand the marine environment.
Life Sciences Volunteers
At this time, we do not have any volunteer openings for this position.
Life sciences volunteers assist animal care staff with a variety of tasks, including habitat maintenance and diet preparation. All life sciences volunteers must complete new volunteer orientation and the new volunteer training series.
Background Check Information
The Aquarium conducts criminal background checks on all adult volunteers and staff members. All of our volunteers may work with children and vulnerable adults as part of their service at the Aquarium. A criminal background check is part of our due diligence to create a safe environment for our visitors, program participants, volunteers and staff, as well as the animals in our care.
With this in mind, there are specific convictions for crimes of violence, crimes against children, and animal abuse which may preclude someone from volunteering. If a criminal conviction in one of these categories comes back on a background check, we would have a conversation with the candidate to discuss the circumstances of the conviction before deciding on placement.
If you have any questions about our adult volunteer programs, please contact us at volunteers@seattleaquarium.org.
Service Levels Reached in 2022
In 2022, 804 volunteers donated 53,338 hours of service equivalent to 25 full-time staff to the Seattle Aquarium, representing an estimated donated value of over $1,597,473 toward our mission: Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment.
