SeaWorld San Diego…what a wonderful place to spend an afternoon! By purchasing a “SeaWorld Fun Card” for just $65, which, ironically, is the same price as a day’s admission to the park, I can return for free until December 31, 2009. I plan to go several times. There are some quality shows – including the Shamu show, the dolphin show, the sea lion and otter show, and the Cirque de la Mer Show, which I think is for aspiring Cirque du Soleil performers who didn’t quite make the cut.
The Shamu show is the highlight of the park for a good reason – it is truly amazing to see an 8,000 pound animal glide through the water and splash fans sitting in the “Soak Zone” on command. The show we saw featured four of the orcas performing although a SeaWorld worker informed me that SeaWorld San Diego has seven orcas. Wow. I had to fight the urge to dive into the tank and swim around with them because it looked like a ton of fun. However, I heard that one of them got angry with its trainer over the last year and pinned him to the floor of the aquarium. That would be horrifying.
The dolphin and sea lion shows were also very entertaining. Dottie the dolphin can jump like 16 feet and the stunt they pull with the little kid feeding the dolphin (and then wiping her fish-dirtied hands all over her shirt) is also a hoot. The sea lion and otter show featured spoofs on TV shows including American Idol, Rachael Ray and Survivor. All in all, it was very creative and entertaining.
In addition to the shows, we checked out the Clydesdale horses, the Manatee Rescue, the Shark Encounter, the penguin and beluga whale display, and got to observe the dolphins up close and personal. Although it is a fantastic place to spend the afternoon, it’s hard to believe that SeaWorld was started by a group of four UCLA graduates in the mid-1960s whose initial idea was to start an underwater restaurant. Can you imagine trying to pitch investors on the idea of building an amusement park showcasing giant whales and dolphins? Only in southern California…
I’m still a bit unclear to SeaWorld’s future. It is owned by Anheuser-Busch, which was recently acquired by InBev for $52 billion. I’ve heard that InBev isn’t too keen on keeping SeaWorld. Hopefully Shamu finds a new owner soon. SeaWorld San Diego is a great place to spend the afternoon and needs to be kept alive so that future generations can come enjoy the wonderment of the sea life there.
