Hargrove appeared in the 2013 documentary Blackfish, wrote a book about his experiences in Beneath The Surface, and has campaigned in support of legislation in California and New York to end the practice of keeping killer whales in captivity.

He then left the industry until March 2008, when he returned to SeaWorld in San Antonio where he was promoted to a Senior 1 trainer at Shamu Stadium.

[5] After promoting Blackfish, Hargrove was asked to co-sponsor the Orca Welfare and Safety Act proposed by Democrat Assemblymen Richard Bloom.

[14] Hargrove said the "severe safety violation" was only a delay in notifying supervisors after he corrected another employee's error, and that his leaving SeaWorld was unrelated to it.

[12] On November 9, 2015 PETA presented Hargrove its Courage of Conviction Award for revealing SeaWorld's treatment of captive orcas.