By: Carmen Montalvo, Allison Shafer, & Felicia Silva
The Zoo
Brevard Zoo, tucked along Florida’s Space Coast in Melbourne, has a history unlike any other. Before its gates first opened in 1994, the zoo began as a bold dream shared by a small group of visionaries, people who believed their community could build a world‑class conservation hub from the ground up. That dream sparked a wave of grassroots energy, with donated land, architectural guidance from aerospace engineers, and a remarkable 16,000 volunteers!! The East Coast Zoological Foundation brought to life what would become the largest community-built zoo in the world.
Since then, visitors have wandered its lush boardwalks and observed habitats that host tapirs, anteaters, monkeys, birds and even a jaguar! As the Zoo expanded, so did its commitment to protecting the natural treasures of its own backyard. Today, Brevard Zoo is a leader in restoring the Indian River Lagoon through large‑scale efforts to rebuild oyster reefs, plant mangroves, and monitor seagrass health. The opening of the Sea Turtle Healing Center in 2014 solidified the Zoo as a critical sanctuary for injured sea turtles in Brevard County, now the only facility of its kind in the region.
Dive Program
Brevard Zoo’s dive program includes 26 staff divers, with no volunteer program yet. Of those 26 staff, 10 are aquarium divers and 16 are part of the Restore Our Shores (ROS) field dive team. Formal dive tracking began in 2023, and since then aquarium divers have completed 277 dives across three outdoor habitats: the Rainforest Aquarium (5,000 gallons), the Giant River Otter habitat (20,000 gallons), and the Indian River Lagoon Aquarium (30,000 gallons). All aquarium dives are classified as working dives and are currently conducted using breath-hold diving.
The Restore Our Shores dive team focuses on scientific diving in the Indian River Lagoon, supporting projects such as seagrass monitoring, oyster reef construction, and other habitat restoration efforts aimed at improving lagoon health.
The dive program was created to improve safety for herps and aquatics keepers who were already breath-hold diving to maintain outdoor aquariums. Since its formalization in 2023, the program has expanded quickly, adding structure, training, and oversight that have significantly increased diver safety. Scuba diving is planned to be introduced this year to further support aquarium maintenance work.
The program is also being developed with future facilities in mind, including the planned Bowen Aquarium in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
DSO Spotlight
Carmen Montalvo’s DSO career has been shaped by a long-standing commitment to marine science, diving, and animal care. She earned her undergraduate degree in Marine Biology from the Florida Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in Marine Biology at Nova Southeastern University.
Carmen’s diving journey began in 2011, when she decided to get scuba certified for her high school senior project. She was already focused on pursuing a career in marine biology and saw diving as a first step toward chasing those dreams. Her open water dives took place in a quarry in White, Georgia, in October. Despite the cold temps, she was immediately hooked. The experience of breathing underwater felt natural, and from her very first dive, she knew she wanted to continue diving as much as possible. She pursued additional training and experience over the following years, becoming a dive professional by January 2018.
After completing her undergraduate degree, Carmen accepted an internship at the Brevard Zoo in 2016, working with the aquarium and stingrays. That experience confirmed her interest in working with fish and rays, especially elasmobranchs. To strengthen her career prospects, she went on to graduate school. After earning her master’s degree, she took a seasonal marine operations position at the Florida Aquarium, where she gained extensive experience diving in aquarium environments.
While she enjoyed aquarium diving, Carmen continued applying for aquarist positions when they became available. Those plans were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to her being laid off and returning home to Georgia. During that time, she worked at a local dive shop while continuing to look for dive and animal care opportunities. She later joined the Georgia Aquarium in a dive immersion role, diving almost daily. Although the position involved frequent diving, she wanted to return to hands-on animal care.
When a herpetology and aquatics keeper position opened at the Brevard Zoo, Carmen applied, not initially realizing the role also included responsibilities as the Diving Safety Officer. With her background in dive operations from both the Florida Aquarium and Georgia Aquarium, she ultimately took on the combined role of Keeper and DSO.
Carmen’s favorite part of working in an aquarium or zoo setting is the consistency of the diving environment: calm, clear water and reliable access to animals. Outside of work, many of her interests still revolve around the water. She enjoys mermaiding in Florida springs and pools, underwater photography, and crafting. She also makes jewelry from recycled fishing nets collected from beaches and the ocean.
At Brevard Zoo, Carmen is the sole DSO and Keeper overseeing dive operations. Rather than having dedicated dive-only staff, all divers are either keepers or life support systems staff. In total, the zoo has 26 staff divers supporting daily operations.
