A Theme Park but has more water activities than Disneyland. SeaWorld San Diego is a theme park that has everything from shark encounters and orca shows to an aerial tram on the bay and a gently rotating sky tower that lifts you high above the ground. It’s full of things that will fascinate and thrill kids, including feeding Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins, riding roller coasters, and seeing penguins up close. SeaWorld’s main attraction in San Diego is its Orcas, several of which reside in 7-million-gallon habitats, each known as Shamu Stadium (Shamu originally died in the 1990s). The first Orca brought to SeaWorld San Diego in the 1960s was named Shamu. At SeaWorld parks, ‘Shamu’ is now used as a stage name for adult Orcas in performances. The Orcas all have real names. SeaWorld parks also feature a variety of thrill rides, including roller coasters and lazy river rides.
History
SeaWorld, established in 1964 by four graduates of the University of California, Los Angeles, initially envisioned as an underwater restaurant, evolved into a 22-acre marine zoological park on Mission Bay in San Diego. With an initial investment of approximately $1.5 million, the park debuted with 45 employees, featuring dolphins, sea lions, and two seawater aquariums, attracting over 400,000 visitors in its inaugural year. Originally a private partnership, SeaWorld went public in 1968, facilitating expansion to other locations. The second park, SeaWorld Ohio, debuted in 1970, followed by SeaWorld Orlando in 1973 and SeaWorld San Antonio (the largest of all) in 1988. From 1976 to 1989, the parks were under Harcourt Bace Jovanovich, Inc. ownership, then acquired by Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. Following Anheuser-Busch’s acquisition by InBev, SeaWorld San Diego and the company’s other parks were acquired by the Blackstone Group in December 2009, currently managed under its SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment division.
Shows of SeaWorld
- The Shamu Show: Believe
- Shamu Rocks
- Dolphin Discovery
- Clyde and Seam ore’s Risky Rescue
- Pet’s Rule!
- Sesame Street presents Lights, Camera, Imagination
- Sea Lions Tonite
- Cirque de la Mer
- Shamu’s Sky Splash
Rides of Sea World
- Journey To Atlantis
- Shipwreck Rapids
- Wild Arctic
- SeaWorld SkyTower
- Bayside Skyride
- Abby’s Sea Star Spin
- Oscar’s Rockin’ Eels
- Elmo’s Flying Fish
Animal exhibits
Dolphins
There are five species of dolphins at SeaWorld San Diego: Common dolphin hybrid, both Atlantic/Pacific Bottlenose dolphins and Commerson’s dolphins. The Bottlenose dolphins may rotate between Blue Horizons, Rocky Point Preserve, and Animal Care. The Commerson’s dolphins live at an exhibit near Journey to Atlantis vacation planning. The facility also houses two Pacific short-finned pilot whales: Bubbles and 9Lives (also known as Shadow), as well as an Atlantic short-finned pilot whale named Sully. Additionally, the facility houses a young male pilot whale that was rescued but unable to be returned to the wild, and Argo, a male pilot whale from Kamogawa SeaWorld was rescued in 2004.
Killer whales
SeaWorld’s main attraction is its killer whales, with eight of them housed in 7 million gallon habitats, each known as Shamu Stadium. Shamu was the name of the first killer whale brought to SeaWorld San Diego in 1965. “Shamu” is now used as a stage name for adult killer whales in performances at SeaWorld parks. All the killer whales have individual names.
Penguins
SeaWorld’s Penguin Encounter exhibit features over 300 penguins representing seven different species: Emperors, Kings, Gentoos, Macaroni, Adelies, Magellanics, and Humboldt. This facility is one of only two places in the world where Emperor penguins are kept in captivity, and it operates the only successful captive breeding program. The staff does not assign names to the penguins; instead, they identify them using colored armbands, with each color representing a number.
Beluga Whales
Beluga whales: Allua (originally housed at the Vancouver Aquarium), Ferdinand (originally housed at the Duisburg Zoo), Nanuq (also originally housed at the Vancouver Aquarium), Ruby (originally from the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program), and Pearl who was born to Ruby and Nanuq on June 23, 2010. SeaWorld San Diego is an Adventure Place For Vacations. At birth, Ruby abandoned Pearl, necessitating hand-raising by the trainers. They also utilized Allua as a surrogate mother. Allua has a reputation for taking care of other calves. She took care of Aurora’s calves Qila and Tuvaq.
Polar Bears
SeaWorld’s Wild Arctic exhibit is home to two polar bears: Szenja, and Snowflake. The zoo acquired Szenja from Wuppertal Zoo in Germany, where she was born on October 15, 1995. Snowflake, born November 28, 1995, came from Buffalo Zoo, New York.
Unique Experiences of SeaWorld
- Dine With Shamu
- Dolphin Interaction
- Dolphin Encounter
- Wild Arctic Interaction
- Guided Tours
- SeaWorld Adventure Camp