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Dive into the captivating world of dolphin training with The Trainer - Tales of a Dolphin Trainer. Available in hardcover, paperback, and digital formats. Choose your preferred option and embark on an unforgettable journey today!

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Where it all started

I entered this world in 1974, in Brooklyn, New York. My memories of my childhood there are a bit fuzzy because when I was five, my mother decided to take us away from the bustle and noise of New York and go all the way down to South Florida. My father had left us before that, hence the new start, and I didn't really have much interaction with him after that. He showed up unannounced every once in a while, and I got the occasional birthday or Christmas card from him, but even those gestures eventually ceased. As a result, my mother and my two older sisters became my primary caretakers. Honestly, I wouldn't change any of it, because it played a significant role in shaping the person I am today.

Our upbringing wasn't exactly lavish. With my mom having to juggle two or three jobs at a time, the responsibility of raising me and my younger brother fell on the shoulders of my two older sisters. Being just teenagers themselves, I’m sure it was an incredibly daunting task. I don’t think I really recognized it as a kid, but writing this now I realize how much they gave up to take care of us. Despite everything, my mom did what she could to provide for us. She enrolled me in almost every sport available, both to give me an outlet for my energy and to give herself a few hours where she knew I was safe and occupied. And she was right to. As a child, I couldn’t keep still. The idea of sitting down and doing any single task for a long time was like asking me to eat a raw egg, slowly, over the course of an hour, while a bunch of ants crawled all over me. I would literally rather get into fistfights— and I did. Looking back now, I suspect I may have had a mild case of ADHD, but back then, behavioral issues like that were rarely diagnosed. So instead, my mother found ways for me to stay occupied and exhaust myself. Luckily for her, it wasn’t long after we arrived in Florida that I found something that was going to consume all of my thoughts and energy for the rest of my childhood, and the next forty years of my life.

When I was six years old, my mother took all of us to a marine animal park in Miami. It was a rare Saturday when she had the day off, and maybe to make the occasion feel even more special, she dressed my brother and me up in these silly sailor outfits. Of course I didn’t mind it at the time, but looking back at the pictures now, I can't help but feel embarrassed about walking around like tiny sailors taking their shore leave at the marine park.

I remember us walking into the killer whale stadium right before the show began. As I stepped into the stadium, the scent of saltwater filled the air, and I heard a massive exhale followed by a mist of water falling over my tiny body. The killer whale was surfaced and breathing in the pool right in front of me. I couldn't take my eyes off her. I approached the edge of the pool and simply stared through the glass at the huge black and white beast, bobbing up and down in her manmade concrete ocean. Eventually, one of the staff members told me to find a seat, and I joined my family. For the next twenty minutes, I was completely enthralled by the show. At a gesture from the trainer, the whale would leap from the water, splashing back down with so much grace and strength all at once. Another movement of the trainer’s hands and the whale would sing, the water calmly reverberating around her as she cycled through different vocalizations. She rolled onto her back, tossed trainers in the air, and happily received pets and belly rubs. I watched in awe as these seemingly ordinary humans worked in harmony with a killer whale. My eyes remained glued to the performance, never once looking away.

When the show ended, the crowd quickly filed out of the stadium to find the next attraction. However, we stayed in our seats for a few more minutes to let the crowds disperse. That’s when I turned to my mom and declared, “Mom, I’m going to do that when I grow up.”

She laughed. “Well, that would be a really fun thing to do.”

And with that, she gathered us all up and led us out of the stadium, moving on from what I’m sure she assumed was a childhood fascination that would be replaced next week by a desire to go to space, or be a cowboy. But from that day forward, my desire to become a marine mammal trainer never wavered. Of course, my siblings teased me mercilessly over the next few years, but I ignored them. I knew what I was going to be, and that was that.

Throughout my teenage years, I was completely focused on pursuing this career. I had no idea about the path I needed to take or the qualifications required to become a marine mammal trainer, but I was certain that it was the right choice for my future. It was like my soul knew where we needed to go. Being raised in Florida, whenever I mentioned my ambition of becoming a dolphin trainer, people often misunderstood and assumed I wanted to work for the Miami Dolphins football team. Well, as long as I got to be the quarterback, that wouldn’t have been a bad gig either!

But I never gave up on my dream. At ten years old, I wrote an essay about dolphin sonar echolocation. For a kid who normally spent his time brawling with the neighborhood kids instead of doing his homework, that was a big deal. I spent hours at the library, diving into books and only coming up for air when I’d found a new sonar fact. By thirteen, I was already a certified diver.

Want to experience more of these incredible stories? Don’t miss out on the full journey. Get your copy of The Trainer - Tales of a Dolphin Trainer today and dive deeper into Scott's extraordinary life story.

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