Our new executive assistant, Denise “Sam” Sammartano, hails from Miami, Florida. She has a lifelong passion for exploring and the ocean, and is endlessly captivated by the mysteries still surrounding marine life.
(If you are calling or emailing the office about trip information, internships, media requests, this is who you are talking to!).
Read our latest blog to learn a little bit more about her.
1. Was the ocean a big part of your life growing up?
I’m a native Floridian born in Miami. And yes, the ocean and beach were a big part of my life growing up. I’m pretty sure I learned to swim because my dad used to throw me in the waves at Juno Beach. I love the water — love how it smells and feels in your hair and on your skin, and I love swimming. I swam competitively from age four to 18.
2. What inspired you to earn an environmental science undergraduate degree?
From the age of about four, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I’ve always loved animals and wanted to be their doctor. There was nothing else I wanted to be. Kids I knew changed their minds all the time, but not me, I loved animals and nature and wanted to take care of them
In tenth grade I realized I wasn’t great at math, and don’t have the interest or attention span for it. I stared at Palm Beach State College in their environmental program, and felt it was a more focused and well rounded degree for me than biology, especially since I like the idea of fixing or restoring something. I like understanding how and why our environment works. I wanted to get a boat and disappear for months at a time and just find out something we didn’t know like the lost years for sea turtles or uncover secrets of the manta ray life cycle.
3. How did you hear about WDP and why did you want to join the team?
I first heard about the Wild Dolphin Project in 2018 through school when I started my environmental degree at Palm Beach State College. They were having a Wild Ocean Science event in Jupiter. I didn’t attend due to prior commitments, but I was inspired by the mission, because this is what I want to do — get away and let animals get used to you and learn all about their lives and how they live together. Of course you could find out so much about an animal if it can trust you.
I’ve thought to myself many times that maybe I was born in the wrong time. I would love nothing better than to be a naturalist from the early 1900s and sit in a hideout all day and just observe everything from the sun, the sky, the clouds, weather, plants, water and how they all are intertwined.
The next year Wild Ocean Science was at my PBSC campus in Palm Beach Gardens and Brian Skerry was the speaker. As students we were offered some complimentary tickets and I went. Then, in 2020 I was excited because WOS had Sylvia Earle coming, Her Deepness. I love her whole strong vibe. Unfortunately, that was when the pandemic hit and it was canceled. In 2021 WOS was back on and I reached out to a staff member, Melissa, to see if they had any student tickets available again. I had started at Oregon State online working on my bachelor’s degree and with my office background, I wondered to myself — wouldn’t it be cool if I could get my foot in the door doing office stuff and then show them what I could do? So earlier this year, I randomly got on Instagram for the first time in a month and saw a WDP post that they were looking for someone part time, mostly online. I couldn’t believe it and sent them my resume. Melissa remembered me reaching out for student tickets to WOS, we hit it off, and I came aboard online, then transitioned to a full-time, in-office job. And here I am. WDP’s motto of “In Their World…On Their Terms” is amazing and I think is the main reason we’ve been able to work with the same group of dolphins for so many consecutive years.
4. So, you love the ocean. Tell us about when you got certified to scuba dive. Do you have any favorite memories or experiences?
I love diving, and I have to say I think everyone should dive (and skydive) at least once in their lifetime. I was gifted my open water certification and Nitrox speciality class for Christmas 2018 and tried to wait until it was a little warmer out. I couldn’t wait that long, so I ordered a 5 mm wetsuit and did my open water class in Feb 2019 through Scuba Works.
I did it Groundhog’s Day weekend and it was amazing — and cold! A week later I received my tax refund, went to the shop after work and slammed my credit card down on the counter in front of my instructor and said give me everything I need to dive, but not the cheap entry level stuff. They knew me personally and I left with everything I needed except tanks. If you hit a certain level of spending, you got free boat trips. So, let’s just say I spent enough to get 10 free trips and basically lived on the boat that summer. I did my advanced open water (AOW) certification as a birthday gift to myself in June and just kept diving and building skills and did the rescue class in August of 2021.
I’d say my AOW bday trip was probably one of the most memorable experiences in my life. It was pouring rain outside, like sideways, had 4-to 5 -foot long swells and half the boat was puking the other half was all “Woooo! AOW yeah!!”. Despite the Florida monsoon and getting kicked in the head in the middle of the ocean, it was beautiful underwater. It was prime turtle season, the sea turtles were sleeping everywhere. We did the “Wreck Trek” and there were a ton of lemon sharks and Goliath groupers. I feel like my theme song when I’m diving is “Under the Sea” from the Little Mermaid.
5. Any random fun facts about you that might surprise people?
I’m sitting here laughing out loud, alone because I have no idea how to answer this question. I feel like when people don’t know me, a lot of what I do or have experienced surprises people. But once you do know me, even if it’s just a little bit, it’s more like you find something out, pause to think and then say of course she did, it’s Denise. Let me try though — I’m half Ecuadorian and I can speak, read and write in Spanish. I love to read. I’ve been skydiving once and would love to go again, even though I’m scared of heights.
