As a young child, my parents took me to Marineland of the Pacific in Palos Verdes, California. And there I met Flipper the dolphin and Bubbles the pilot whale up close and personal. Up until then, I was a dinosaur enthusiast. By the 3rd grade, I was teaching my teachers on the various dinosaurs. I miss spelled the word “what” spelling it “whut” but I could spell Tyrannosaurus Rex and tell you how tall it was, the size of its teeth and what era it lived in. However, Flipper and Bubbles were the first animals I had ever seen in person that didn’t live on land. And they were huge and smart and always had a smile on their faces. But most of all, they were alive!!! That’s when my unconditional love for our cousins in the sea began.
Throughout my years as a youth and into adulthood I would visit Marineland as often as I could. I read every book and article I could get my hands on about whales and dolphins. And the more I read, the stronger my passion grew. Learning just how intelligent Cetaceans are and their incredible abilities were absolutely amazing. They truly are the supreme rulers of their domain.
When Orky and Corky, male and female killer whales were introduced to the sea park, I instantly knew without a doubt they would be a part of the rest of my life. Thinking back, like most everyone else, I never took into consideration just how horribly sad it was that the most intelligent and fearless animal on earth was confined to a very tiny tank that was only a few feet deeper than the length of Orky’s body. And even though over the years the tanks have gotten much larger, in comparison, it would be like one of us living out our life inside a small closet. Yet, their personalities were delightful. They were, and the ones still in captivity are, the true monarchs of their kind. Unfortunately, their domain is a world very unnatural to us. Like a fish out of water, we are just as limited in the water. And in the beginning, it was the only way we could learn about their lives and experience their extreme intelligence. I have to say, if it weren’t for oceanariums like Marineland and SeaWorld, many people around the world would still believe they’re all fish. But now we all know better. Cetaceans are highly intelligent, raise families just as we do and with some species, stay together for life and will have as many as 5 generations living together in the same pod. They have strong emotions and especially in the dolphin families, mate for life. They look after each other and take care of their old and sick. And now that we know this, there should not be a single whale or dolphin or any sea mammal for that matter in captivity.
Even though the tanks at SeaWorld have expanded, it will never be justified keeping them in captivity and will always be nothing more than a tiny prison cell.
Every time the trainer would take off on the back of Shamu and plow through the water, it would only last a few seconds before they would reach the other side of the tank. To restrict these supreme rulers of the ocean was beyond saddening! I closed my eyes and imagined what it would be like if there were no walls to stop them. How exciting it would be to ride on the back of an Orca in the open sea. The incredible speed, leaping out of the water or surfing a wave like they do in the wild. Imagine being taken on a tour of treasures and places we’ve yet to discover or ever will. To slide into the middle of a migrating school of 300-pound tuna. Or Catching a current that runs for thousands of miles. More than 3/4 of our planet is their playground. And what better host could we have to introduce us to an alien world we barely understand.
It could be considered an act of fate. In the early 80’s while living in Palm Springs with my self-adopted brother and my 2 nephews, we were fortunate enough to land a job painting the home of the prominent science fiction author Ray Bradbury. While watching him write 2 different books at the same time, I told him about this idea I had of riding on the back of a killer whale and exploring the ocean and bringing justice to the ocean environment through knowledge. He absolutely loved the idea and concept I chose to bring awareness to our oceans and all the creatures that live there. He told me to start writing. When I started to tell him that I thought I was too old, he stopped me and said, imagination has no age limit. I’m almost twice your age and I’m still writing. So, write. And write every day. Who better than Ray Bradbury to give writing advice. And so, I took his recommendation and started writing.
A few years later I was visiting my nephews in Oregon State to have some artwork drawn of my characters when I was asked as a favor to speak in my younger nephew’s classroom. He was in the 5th grade at the time. I loved talking about whales and dolphins but never to a group of people let alone 10 to 12 year olds. I believe another act of fate was about to take place. The plan was to speak in his classroom of 25 to 30 students. Unbeknownst to me, my older nephew and the principal agreed to bring in another 3 classrooms. The lecture was scheduled for one hour. They say, you never forget your first experience. It was not only my favorite lecture but it lasted over 3 hours. Since then, I have lectured in almost every grade level including colleges from San Diego, California to the top of Washington state. I’ve also lectured in private schools, whale watching tours, museums and marine-life institutes. The California state educational advisors wrote their first ever endorsement letter approved by the Governor wishing me success with my books and continuing the lectures. Soon after, a staff writer for the USC Trojan newspaper wrote a 2-page story about my books and lectures. SeaWorld invited me to San Diego to have my picture taken with Shamu for the article. This was also the first and only time Shamu has promoted anything outside of SeaWorld.
Since then, I have written 16 books in the series…so far. My ultimate goal is to see it in the theaters and a TV series. A national representative for the PTA once expressed an idea of having it used as a homework assignment for its educational values.