It couldn’t be put more simply than the beginning of the interview.

“My name is Dave Turner, and I carve whales.”

Indeed, this exactly what the man does. He sets up in his small woodworking shop next to his house and produces close to 100 whale carvings a year. He didn’t get to this point by accident though. His story takes him from home to Washington D.C. and then back home.

Dave ended up down on the Cape through his family. The home he lives in now was once owned by his grandfather. Since he was a child, Dave spent a majority of his time in the house during the summer months.

“My Grandfather bought this house in the forties when you couldn’t give land away down here. We were fortunate. We just never sold it. For me I grew up in Western Massachusetts going back and forth every day. All the summers all the holidays all of that business. This is where all my brothers and cousins would come to. We would get out of school one day and pack up the car to be down here the next. We would stay straight through the summer. That was always the big draw here. Stay straight through to see friends and family. Yeah it was always just a fun place to be.”

After high school he decided to try living on Cape for a few years until his life lead him south to Washington D.C.

“I worked down in the Pentagon for 19 Years before I moved back here. I’m not even sure there is a lot of stories down there. (Chuckling) Not a lot you’re supposed to talk about.”

When he moved back to the Cape, he and his cousin decided to work as carpenters to make a dollar here and there. While working with wood for a living he started to carve items for friends and family and soon started to carve whales. He garnished enough interest over time for his product and decided to start a whale carving business. The carpentry business dwindled away and the wood carving business took off. When asked about the business and advice for other year round folks on Cape Cod, the passion came out.

“I’ve seen a few things. Just do it 100 percent. Be relentless with it. Be fucking relentless with it. If you really think you’re on to something don’t change your scope. Don’t change anything else and do just that. Bombard it. Crush it. Every Day. Every night. When you wake up in the morning. Fucking go do it. Non-stop. And sooner or later, you’ll figure out its horseshit or it’s amazing. It’s going to be one or the other. Nothing in between. That's what it generally is. If you bother people long enough with it somebody’s going to say yes.”

You can see this passion and love for what he does in the work he produces. This mantra translates to his business and his life in general. We wish you the best Dave.

Remember. He carves whales. Not mermaids. Whales.

You can follow Dave on Instagram @thewoodenwhaleco to enjoy his day to day humor and carving shenanigans. Please also visit his site WOODENWHALECO