John Hargrove

Howard Chua-Eoan

A firsthand account of the lives of captive killer whales by one of SeaWorld's most experienced orca trainers and the star of Blackfish argues that their needs are not met in captivity and traces advocacy efforts comparing the lives of free and captive orcas.

Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish

Beneath the Surface

Yulianna Aparicio

Hargrove goes into great detail regarding his relationship with these animals, their personalities, behaviors, and even the social dynamics that exist between whales in Sea World's artificial pods. Going into this, I already knew that orcas are smart and emotional creatures, but I was still blown away by the level of orca intelligence conveyed in Hargrove's anecdotes. He also adds context to some of the incidents documented in Blackfish, which make an even stronger case against captivity.

Alexandra Gillgrass

I honestly don't think I can put into words how much I loved this book, it is now one of my all-time favourites and I'm pretty certain that this will not be the last time that I will pick this incredible book up. 

Like many people I watched Blackfish and was instantly drawn into the story of Seaworld and their captive Orca whales. After watching the documentary multiple times I concluded that it just wasn't enough, I needed to get deeper. And what better way to learn more of their story from one of the most experienced killer whale trainers, John Hargrove. I believe that this book would not have had the same impact it did on me were it written by someone who was completely detached from the whales, and not someone who was working directly with them and had a relationship with the animals. 

This book is very easy to read and is in no way an activist preachy kind of book. Hargrove himself says in the book that he does not consider himself as an activist but as someone who was able to speak for the whales as they couldn't. It tells the story from when he was a young boy who was enthralled with the Orcas the very first time he saw them right up until the death of Dawn Brancheau where everything changed. 

He writes with such deep filled emotion that my heart truly ached for him and how he eventually had to leave one of the greatest loves of his life; the Orcas (in particular Takara). You really can tell just how much he cared for these animals and that just because he worked for Seaworld the last thing he would have wanted was for any harm to come to the creatures. 

One of the most interesting things about this book was the explanation of how they trained the Orcas. How they conditioned them not to be fearful of vets and many various other things. How they taught them certain behaviours with an arm movement or eye contact and above all how they built a very special relationship and bond that would last forever. 

It is clear from this book that cracks were beginning to show in various whales' behaviour as a result of years of captivity. I particularly liked the way Hargrove explained 'the dark side' of a whale and how at times during the water he could have been in real trouble, but through remaining calm and trying to use their special bond, he managed to get out alive; others were not so lucky. 

By the end of this book, Hargrove explains that whales are not supposed to be in captivity. And of course, I agree with him. The reason we are in absolute awe of these animals at marine parks is because they are not behaving in the way that they should or the way they were made for. 

I promise you this book will have you in floods.

An incredible read on such a relevant and important topic. 


Just read it.

Beneath the Surface Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish

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