Meet Richard Carmody, Yakima's Aquaman

"I'd like to be under the sea

In an octopus' garden in the shade"

-- The Beatles' "Octopus' Garden"

SEATTLE -- Gliding effortlessly through the water, fins slightly moving, they swim in cadence with the gentle ebb and flow.

Their lithe forms skim under waves -- of salt water, sunlit hues and drifting kelp.

Most are fish. One is not.

And he's the biggest. That's the amphibious Richard Carmody of Yakima, retired math teacher, deep-sea diver, travel guide and enthusiast of all things underwater.

Twice a month he drives from Yakima to the Seattle Aquarium, where he serves as a volunteer scuba diver.

During his eight-hour day there, he does a little teaching (kids), a little feeding (fish) and a lot of performing underwater (for kids, with fish.)

But it's not the cobalt greenling or the elegant sun star or even the shimmering, sliver salmon that beckon him.

No, what keeps bringing Carmody back to the aquarium is the chance to motivate kids. He loves playing to the kids.

He conducts two live shows a day submerged in giant viewing tanks where spectators watch as he feeds and interacts with Puget Sound marine life.

Which is to say that the sea anemone, spiny dog fish (a shark), Longnose skate and Carmody are one.

"The fish are wonderful," he explains. "It's so much fun to do."

Part athlete, showman and educator, Carmody, 59, dons his dry suit (waterproof, it's more buoyant and warmer than a wet suit), slips into the water and performs for kids. He plays peek-a-boo, does somersaults, holds sea stars up to children's eye level.

"Interacting with young people is one of the joys of diving," he said.

Even wearing a mask, even 33 feet underwater, his enthusiasm is unmistakable.

The morning show takes place in the 120,000 gallon WOW (Window on Washington Waters) tank. As spectators line the 18-foot-by-40-foot-long window, Carmody alternately waves, beckons, claps, hangs upside down and feeds his finned friends.

Floating past Red Irish Lord sculpin, ling cod and copper rockfish, Carmody warms up the crowd by giving the weather report: "It's 100 percent humidity in here, a little damp."

As he relates details of the marine environment through a diving mask outfitted with a microphone, an 8-foot wolf eel slithers through his arms in search of a coveted squid. Carmody obliges, choosing not to argue with the homely creature. ("Its face is like a Cabbage Patch doll you left outside over the winter," he said.)

The eerie eel is one of the highlights for Donn and Michelle Johnson on a summer trip west from Green Bay, Wis. Their son Jared, 8, stands at the WOW window, mesmerized, as Carmody trades high-fives with him and his sisters, Josie, 7, and Grace, 3, before the 25-minute show.

"Teachers are just frustrated actors," Carmody jokes after the show. "Here I've got a captive audience."

Of the 150 aquarium volunteer divers, Carmody is one of only about 15 who perform shows in the WOW exhibit. Considered the premier spot to dive, only the most experienced divers work there, Martin Rothwell, aquarium spokesman, explains.

A certified scuba diver for 38 years, Carmody began volunteering at the aquarium three years ago, spending five Saturdays training for the job.

Since then, he's logged more than 500 hours there.

With his 300-mile round trip commute, Carmody travels the longest distance of any volunteer diver, Martin notes.

Because aquarium tanks are filled with Puget Sound water, it's cold, between 48-53 degrees. So Carmody dresses in layers: long underwear, then an insulated suit similar to what snowmobilers wear, topped by his air-tight dry suit, a hood and gloves. Volunteers supply most of their own diving gear, which costs $1,000 to $3,000.

When he enters the water, fish immediately approach because they know he has food. Some are more brazen than others; for instance, Charlie the cabezon sometimes tries to eat Carmody's foot.

But Charlie is surpassed -- hook, line and sinker -- by those who can't help but bite the hand that feeds them. On a recent dive, both a 6-foot white sturgeon and a canary rockfish took little nips at Carmody.

By mid-afternoon, Carmody dons his suit again for the second show, this time in the 400,000-gallon Underwater Dome. Visitors eye the fish from below, with a 360-degree view.

Not all Carmody's volunteer chores are glamorous. It turns out he's a sous chef, launderer, dishwasher and house cleaner -- yes! he does windows --all in one.

He begins his aquarium day chopping 4 pounds of krill (small shrimp), along with anchovies and squid, to feed the fish, then amasses cloths and scrapers to clean tank windows from the inside. He also uses an underwater vacuum to rid the tank of debris.

In the kitchen, he washes dishes used to prepare fish food. Then, it's off to the clothes dryer to air out his snowmobile suit to get ready for his second dive.

In between, he roves through the building, answering questions and sharing insider tidbits. Although he taught math for 23 years at Eisenhower High School, his first degree was in fisheries biology from the University of Washington.

If there's anyone more exuberant about diving -- and sea life -- it's hard to imagine. He discusses underwater habitat with children, talks about why so many sharks have white noses (they bump into the window) and describes rockfish life cycles.

"Telling fish stories is part of my job," he says.

Visiting from Maryland, Michelle Birnbaum listens attentively as Carmody gives animated explanations about marine attractions swimming overhead.

"What's special about this place is the people element," says Birnbaum. "There are volunteers at every window, and they're so knowledgeable."

As for Carmody, mingling with people out of water is a favorite task.

"Talking to the public is one of the best parts. The little kids just light up."

That was true recently for six Yakima visitors, Eric and Jo Anne Hanses and their nephews Johnny Hanses and John Ray, along with Kat Hisey and daughter Hannah. The three kids were especially entranced when Carmody took them by Fifi's tank, home of a giant Pacific octopus.

(Fifi is a Houdini of sorts; two weeks earlier she had escaped from her tank in the middle of the night, flinging her arms over the sides and flopping 7 feet down to the floor. Fortunately for Fifi, the aquarium has 24-hour employee surveillance, so she was returned to the water within five minutes.)

"Octopuses are so cool," Carmody says. "They change color and texture super fast."

As well as tanks, apparently.

A veteran of more than 700 ocean dives, Carmody is a certified scuba instructor and teaches the sport in Yakima at Lions Pool. He and wife Leslie, also a certified diver and retired West Valley High School math teacher, operate a business, Carmody Scuba & Travel.

They lead several diving trips a year to sites in the Caribbean or Pacific; in January they'll host a tour to Bonaire Island in the Netherland Antilles.

But once the trip is over, Carmody will be right back at the aquarium, in the viewing tanks, twice a month. There isn't much that's better than that, he says.

"Those little kids out there, watching at the window -- that's why I do it. I'm a grandfather, and they're just like my grandkids."

* Jane Gargas can be reached at 509-577-7690 or jgargas@yakimaherald.com.