Jen's P.O.V.
Today we start Shamu's Christmas Miracles show! Which means we also will perform our last Shamu Rocks show. Everyone is rushing around making sure everything is in order. Yesterday all the trainers that weren't busy was decorating. I'm in the Shamu rocks show but not Miracles! I'm doing the You and Me section with waterworks but I'll be using Kalina. Today I also start working with Taima a little more, I grab her bucket of fish and walk over to her and Malia. Kylie comes over and takes Malia to work on a few things.
I feed Taima her fish while giving her rub downs. We seem to form a bond very quick. We have 4 shows to do today so we are very busy with planing everything. I'm doing 3 of the 4 shows so I'm working all day today. My first show is at 11:00 which is the One Ocean show in an hour, then Believe at 2:00, and Shamu Rocks at 4:00. I'm also doing my first Dine Shamu at 1:00! So busy today, but I'm doing what I love so I'm not complaining.
I finish feeding Tai and head to the changing room to put on my One Ocean wetsuit on. I then walk over to Takara who is swimming laps with Trua stopping every once in a while to watch something. They are in the UWV pool and the trainers have all calmed down a bit and we have nothing to do so I go and grab our giant stuffed whale and run to the UWV glass, I tap on the glass and both Trua and Tiki come to greet me! I play with them and the stuffed whale, asking them to copy the whale and me.
I then run back into the changing room and grab my phone in my locker. I go back to the UWV and take a few pictures of me with the whales. I then send them to my sister and post one on Facebook saying "lovin my job hanging with the best!" My phone has a water proof case so if I really wanted to I could leave my phone on me.
Another exciting thing happening today, my sister, mom, brother and Emily are here and at lunch, my family, myself, and James are going to get our hair temporarily dyed a strange color to celebrate/support SeaWorld's new cause called the "The Color Run from Pole to Pole" which is an event where guests and some trainers run from one end of the park to the other and on the way their are some animals there to cheer them on! They are also running through some of the stadiums (Shamu stadium being one of them) and we will have the whales waving and showing support! All of the money we raise will go to our rescue and research programs! The trainers who are working that day are will dye their hair to show support, and the dye is completely animal safe so even some of our animals will be even be dyed! Since everyone might not want to dye their hair people will be throwing colored dust and sparkles on them to "dye" their clothes! It should be really fun! I'm not running because I have work but I will still color parts of my hair!
I take more pictures of Takara and then head upstairs for One Ocean. My mom texted me saying "We will watch One Ocean and then we have to go get our hair dyed, they are doing the dying in the park over by Wild Article so it won't be long" I answer back with a simple okay and head over to start working with the Trua bear. I get him some fish and jello. We practice our show having him shake his head no to the fish, waving, sliding up on the slide out and shaking and splashing, and then a few jumps!
It's soon then time to do the real thing, the music comes on and Kayla does the opening jump!
Me and Kristen then take Trua and Malia out to the slide out, we have been working with Malia on being separated from her mom so doing shows is a perfect way! Our other calf Nalani has also been introduced to shows because she is the "middle calf" so she knows a little bit more than Malia but not much! Kristen holds up a fish and both whales shake their heads no, I then take two different fish and only Trua shakes his head no, Malia shakes her head yes and me and Kristen start laughing, we give both Malia and Trua fish and then I ask Trua to go meet me at the glass to the right while Kristen asks Malia to the left. I get Trua to wave his pectoral flippers and then to spin around.
YOU ARE READING
Life of a Shamu trainer!
Random"Hi I'm Jennifer, everyone calls me Jen! This is my life as a Shamu Trainer!" Jennifer has loved whales since she was 5 years old and she first went to SeaWorld San Diego! She got to interact with a whale named Takara. For the past 18 years Jennife...
