born to a single mother in savannah, georgia, nolan daniels never knew his father. he grew up with only one male figure in his life: his older brother, sebastian. despite over five years between them, the two were thick as thieves. their mother, a historian, spent much of her free time teaching her sons historical facts that weren't taught in public schools. it was through her that they learned to read and write latin. because she could not afford to send them to private school, she was determined to give her sons an edge by giving them an education their circumstances wouldn't allow.

of course, it was this added knowledge that led to trouble for her younger son. nolan was constantly arguing with his teachers in class, claiming their facts were wrong and that his mother had told him otherwise. this often landed him in the principal's office. the other children were told that nolan was simply challenged and often made fun of him or started fights with him during recess. he became a familiar face to not only his school's administration but that of the local police department. where his mother claimed he was a misunderstood child, everyone else saw a nuissance and a bad parent refusing to do anything about it.

still, cassandra refused to leave her home. though nolan and his brother were unaware, she was battling severe depression among other things. she put on a brave face for her children, but the illness eventually won out. when nolan was fourteen, he found his mother's body in the upstairs bathroom. she had committed suicide. with his hero figure and source of encouragement gone, nolan's rebellious nature only grew worse, with him going so far as to instigate fights on an almost daily basis. he was in and out of detention and even suspended a few times for his misconduct, which didn't look good for his brother and now legal guardian.

sebastian decided it best they make a change and move away from their childhood home before he lost custody – or worse, something happened to his little brother. as much as nolan detested the idea, he didn't have much of a choice, and the two brothers soon found themselves in hawaii. what made his brother choose the remote island state, he did not know, but nolan grew to love it there. his love of history, coupled with his love of the outdoors, gave him new purpose. instead of getting trouble for fighting, he was scolded for more reckless behavior, like climbing more dangerous rock faces or mountains without the proper safety equipment.

a new start also meant he could focus on his education without worrying about his peers, so his grades began to pick up. he had always been gifted in certain subjects, but the circumstances of his life in georgia had made it difficult to focus. by some stroke of luck, he was able to earn a small scholarship to the university of hawaii at manoa, which he began attending in the fall of 1998. he chose a major in history to honor his mother; though he had no idea what he wanted to do with his eventual degree, he couldn't picture studying anything else.

after gaining his bachelor's degree, he went on to earn a master's in world history. with his formal education behind him, he found himself uncertain of where to go from here. he could teach the subject, just as his mother had, but he didn't view himself as the right type for that. he was a bad influence, not a mentor-type. while he attempted to figure it out, he began working as an outdoor guide for tourists.

he did this for a few years and worked some odd jobs in between. as he grew skilled in various areas, such as climbing and outdoor survival, he somehow found himself teaching others. given that just a few years before, he never thought himself the type, he found it hilarious that he had unwittingly ended up doing it anyway. by some stroke of luck, he heard about an ocean salvage company looking to take on new hires. because he had recently become a certified diver and knew a thing or two about history, it was easy to win the job. his charming personality didn't hurt his chances, either. the only issue was the company was housed on the island of maui, and he couldn't reasonably make a 100 mile commute.

left with no choice, he moved away from the main island and his older brother. he came to realize that his chosen career path came with a lot of downtime, which meant he still had plenty of time to teach on the side. luckily, there were plenty of openings for a climbing instructor; he eventually settled for one that was just about to open its doors and has been working there ever since. when the mood strikes him, he even takes groups of tourists out into the island's wilderness. his sense of adventure has not faded with age, and to this day, nolan still aims to be reckless.