Days With The Dolphins

Pigmentation, scars and overall shape of dorsal fins identify individual dolphins.

It is one of those ironies of life that journeys on dry land have afforded Steve McCulloch some of his most monumental experiences in a career devoted to marine mammals. The first of these trips occurred on a summer evening in 1962 along a quiet stretch of A1A just south of St. Augustine. It was time for 9-year-old Stephen and his mother to rest for the evening from their vacation trip. Mrs. McCulloch was attracted by the neon “vacancy” of an upcoming motel, but Stephen was drawn to another sign just across the street, which read “Marineland Studios.”

While his mother slept, curiosity got the better of Steve and he slipped over the fence of the tourist attraction. There he came face-to-face with a young dolphin in a backlot pool. They played games for hours until Steve was frightened off by a watchman’s light.

Read the entire article in the Summer 1999 issue