By: Cole Drake, Allison Shafer, & Felicia Silva
The Aquarium
Located in what was once the world’s busiest passenger rail terminal, the St. Louis Aquarium sits as the anchor to Union Station. The elegant historic touches and hand-crafted stained glass that detail the station also feature in the one-of-a-kind exhibits and tanks that house thousands of aquatic species from the rivers and oceans of the world. Opened on Christmas Day in 2019, this 120,000 square-foot marvel offers an immersive journey to an underwater world as the aquarium holds over 13,000 animals across 44 habitats. The centerpiece of the St. Louis Aquarium is a 250,000-gallon saltwater habitat that features 8 different species of sharks, 4 lesser devil rays, and 2 green sea turtles.
Amidst the mesmerizing blue hues of the aquarium, Union Station strikes a balance of nostalgia and renovation. Hosting a variety of renovated amenities, the station pays homage to its rich history, as one of its major updates is the restoration of the massive steel train shed – bringing it back to its original glory of more than 120 years ago. From the Union Station Hotel to the towering 200-foot St. Louis Wheel, and even the seasonal St. Louis Polar Express Train Ride, there is something for everyone to enjoy!
The Dive Program
Behind the scenes, the aquarium’s dive program is essential to the maintenance of the health and vibrancy of its many habitats. With a team of 20 skilled divers, and 8 prospective onboarding divers, the program has grown and expanded in strides since it first opened its doors. Initially performing around 1,000 dives annually, the team has steadily increased its dives to manage all husbandry operations under the scientific diving exemption. Aquarium guests enjoy daily dive shows in their Shark Canyon habitat, where divers might come to showcase a variety of themes with each coming season, making each visit to St. Louis Aquarium an exciting and novel experience.
DSO Spotlight
DSO Cole Drake is St. Louis Aquarium’s “one-man army” when it comes to running dive operations for the institution. Coming from an aquatic background in swimming and water polo, Cole completed his open water training the summer before he began college at California State University, Monterey Bay, and says that those first few breaths underwater were weird and exciting, and seeing a turtle and lobster carapace on those training dives had him hooked. Cole was able to complete further dive training while working on his marine science degree; he completed his advanced, rescue, and AAUS courses through CSUMB’s venerable dive program in chilly Monterey Bay, and subsequently secured an internship with nearby Monterey Bay Aquarium’s dive program. This cemented his desire to work in the aquarium industry. Cole spent the next three summers working as an Underwater Explorers guide with Monterey Bay Aquarium and worked at CSUMB as a Dive Locker Technician while finishing his degree. After graduation in 2017, Cole moved to Missouri for a permanent position as a maintenance diver at Wonders of Wildlife, and then found his way to St. Louis for the DSO position at Union Station.
When asked what his favorite aspect of working in an aquarium is, Cole’s response was “This is a mean question. It’s hard to choose!” (We agree!) He loves the freedom of creating weird “things” to help his divers with their animal care. He loves talking to guests about dive operations and the aquarium industry as a whole. He loves the “out there” questions that guests have, as well as the opportunity to work with the myriad of animals that we do. “Who else gets to say they get speared by a turtle on a weekly basis?”
Outside of diving, Cole is a self-proclaimed “classic nerd.” Before becoming a DSO, he managed a large gaming community, and you can still find him gaming on the computer most days. He’s particularly fond of DnD, and he manages or plays 2-3 games a week! He also enjoys giving his two cats supervised outdoor time and spending time with his partner by camping in the Ozarks and going on runs around Forest Park. Fun fact – he and his partner are currently teaching each other what they do, meaning Cole is learning to fly planes on a simulator while teaching his partner how to dive. How cool!
