LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Growing up in Las Vegas, Kristen Janise always felt most at home in the water. Today, she has built not one, not two, but 3 careers around that love — all in the middle of the desert.
WATCH | Las Vegas native Kristen Janise built 3 dive careers in the middle of the desert
"So when I was very little, I always loved the water. I was always in the pool. I was always at the lake growing up," Janise said.
That passion eventually took her away from Las Vegas to pursue a degree in marine biology. But her career brought her back to the desert, where she has found a way to make water her life.
"So I have three jobs that are all dive related out in the middle of the desert," Janise said.
Aquarium manager and mermaid wrangler
Janise's main job is at the Silverton, where she serves as aquatic safety manager and oversees dive-related operations inside the aquarium. The aquarium is home to more than 2,000 animals and about 100 different species. Keeping it all running takes significant work behind the scenes, from water filtration and animal care to feeding some of the aquarium's largest animals.
Janise also runs the aquarium's mermaid program. The Silverton employs 13 mermaids and offers a mermaid school where children and adults can experience what it is like to swim like a mermaid.
"I've been a mermaid here a few times as a fill-in. I do run the mermaids. I teach the Patty mermaid course, so I teach mermaiding that can also be taught to anybody," Janise said.
The mermaids at the Silverton are required to be scuba certified.
"So here, our mermaids do have to be scuba certified. They get to breathe air while they're underwater. That makes it a lot easier," Janise said.
Running her own dive company
When Janise is not at the aquarium, she runs her own dive company, teaching scuba and taking people on dive adventures.
Search and rescue diver
Janise's third role may be her most challenging. Since 2019, she has volunteered with Metro's search and rescue dive team and now helps train new officers and divers.
"They are all challenging and rewarding in very different ways… and with search and rescue there are sometimes some very difficult scenarios and low-visibility situations," Janise said.
The missions can take the team into demanding environments, where divers must rely on their training, their skills, and each other.
"So we do anything from vehicle recoveries, body recoveries, and evidence recoveries," Janise said.
Janise acknowledged that some missions are harder than others.
"It really depends on the environment. Obviously body recoveries are a little hard. That's something personal to a lot of people, but we get to help bring closure to families," Janise said.
A love that started in Las Vegas
Though her search and rescue work is a world away from the mermaids she manages at the Silverton, Janise says all three of her careers are connected by the same thing — a love of the water that started when she was a little girl growing up in Las Vegas.
"Always, yes. Anytime I can be in the water, it is my happy spot, and that I can do it in so many different ways in the middle of the desert is fantastic," Janise said.
The Silverton aquarium is free and open to the public. The hotel offers daily feeding shows and mermaid shows Thursday through Sunday.
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