Thirteen years ago, I visited Sea World San Antonio with a close friend. We entered the White Whale and Dolphin Stadium where a trainer was observing the animals in the front pool. “You have my dream job!” I said after introducing myself. “What do I need to do to become a trainer?”
This is the answer I received...
You have to love animals. You need to be strong team player. You need patience. Every applicant is required to pass a swim test. We require a high school diploma, though a college background in marine biology or psychology is preferred. Applicants must be certified SCUBA divers before receiving an invitation to participate in the swim test.
You must swim a distance of 250 feet in less than one minute and twenty seconds and swim 125 feet underwater taking only one breath. Applicants must also dive into the pool from a six foot platform then surface dive to the bottom of the pool. By the way, in the Whale and Dolphin Stadium that pool is 25 feet deep. After retrieving a dive weight from the bottom, you must pull yourself onto a ledge that is one foot above the surface of the water. Once you are completely out of breath, we test your skills on the microphone.
Trainers that work at Shamu Theatre are required to swim to the bottom of its main show pool - a depth of 40 feet. They are also required to be leap up to the top of the six foot glass that encloses the pool and also to lift themselves out of the water onto a wall that is two feet above the surface.
I listened intently to her answers as did my friend. Both of us were brimming with excitement. I realized in that moment that my dream could become reality and nothing would stand in my way.
Now, I get to share my dream with so many each day in our killer whale show at Shamu Theatre called “Believe. Dedication, hard work, and persistence have taken me through the journey of a lifetime and have enabled me to reach heights I never thought possible. So remember, anything is possible as long as you BELIEVE.
