Vince Kelly has had a love of the Ocean and its inhabitants from a very young age. The first childhood memory he can recall is when his parents took him to the Shedd Aquarium at 4 years of age. He watched the dive presentation with his face pressed against the glass in total awe of everything going on around him.

Years later Vince applied for a volunteer position at the Shedd Aquarium. Much to his delight he was assigned to the Marine Mammal department. During that time he assisted the trainers with the husbandry responsibilities for the animals in their care. Due to his contagious enthusiasm and natural abilities he was trusted with some of the most important projects the Aquarium had to offer. Vince often assisted in training and veterinary sessions with the Aquarium's: beluga whale's, pacific white sided dolphins, harbor seals, sea otters, and 3 species of penguins.

After only 3 months as a volunteer he was hired to raise gentoo penguins from eggs that were collected from Antarctica in an off site quarantine facility. Following the penguins from their first feed, to getting in a wetsuit and joining them for their first swim was one of Vince's most rewarding experiences.

A few months later Vince was accepted as a diver in the Caribbean Reef Exhibit, the same one that inspired him so many years ago. The first time Vince entered the Reef Exhibit he described it as a spiritual experience, culminating his childhood dreams while seeing children on the outside of the glass starting theirs, just like he did.

For the past 10 years as a volunteer Vince has had a beautifully symbiotic relationship with the Shedd Aquarium. While being a valuable asset to the Aquarium he has learned from some of the best Aquarist and water quality specialty experts in the world. At this point it should be made clear that the Shedd Aquarium has NO professional relationship with Go Fish Aquariums. However, since the Shedd is such a huge part of his life it is impossible to write a bio without talking about the Aquarium.

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