York County Edition
May 2012
Vol. 13 No. 5
Diving Into a 50-Ton Passion Former Banker Now Dedicated to Whale Conservation, Videography By Alysa Poindexter Dan Knaub may seem like an ordinary guy from Central Pennsylvania, but underneath that cap and behind that cheery disposition is a man with an extraordinary job as a marine biologist, videographer, and activist birthed from a fascination with some of the largest creatures on Earth: 50-ton whales. From full-time banker to full-time founder and president of the Whale Video Company—amongst many other notable titles—Knaub’s zeal for whales has allowed him to take a dive into a thriving career centered on these gigantic yet mysterious ocean dwellers. He has created more than 50 programs on humpback whales used by some of the nation’s largest whale nonprofit organizations, including the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and the Cetacean Society International (CSI). It was Knaub’s first deployment trip to Vietnam in 1959—only days after officially gracing adulthood—that he had his first whale encounter. “I was 18 years and 2 days,” said Knaub. “I figured it was a great time to see some things and do some things before I went to college.” He had no idea that some of those “things” would include witnessing a pod of sperm whales between San Francisco and Hawaii on a journey that please see PASSION page 22 Dan Knaub has spent many hours on the open water over the course of hundreds of whale-watching trips.
Inside:
Should Seniors Get Discounts? page 9
York County Senior Games Return page 18