Zoo provides coolest dive spot around

Allison Manning -

It's a dirty job, but those who scuba dive want to do it: scrub the artificial reef clean in the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Or feed the fish that surround them.

Some of the best scuba diving in central Ohio is just a chore away.

Nearly 60 experienced divers gladly pick up a toilet-bowl brush and scrub the artificial reef or feed the fish at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's Discovery Reef, all for the opportunity to swim with more than 70 species of fish, rays and sharks.

Dave Martin, 60, started diving at the zoo in 1998, first as a cleaner and now as one of the feeders. There's a simple reason he keeps coming back.

"If you're a scuba diver, being in the water is what it's all about, and diving in Discovery Reef is the best diving in central Ohio," said Martin, Sunbury's village administrator. "You can't go to the Caribbean every weekend to dive in clear water."

ew members of that original class are still diving. The scuba divers are a small contingent of the zoo's volunteers, but their job is so popular that the zoo gave up on adding people to a waiting list years ago, said curator Mike Brittsan. Like all other volunteers, divers are covered by the zoo's liability insurance.

Although it's one of the most in-demand jobs, it isn't always the most glamorous. Some pick up one of three weekly cleaning shifts, scrubbing the artificial reef with sponges and rough brushes to bring out the vibrant colors.

Others take part in daily feedings. The diver in the tank will wear an underwater communication mask, which allows talking to the visitors outside while hundreds of fish and a few sharks swim around and eat their lunch.

"When you're in there to feed, they follow you around," said Martin, whose favorite fish is the unicorn tang. "They're your best friend in the world."

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