SeaWorld Adventure Park

I wasn't sure there was going to be anything for my 20 month daughter to enjoy but she really enjoyed the shows. Her parents did too. All in all a nice, albeit VERY expensive, experience.

What I was expecting was various exhibits of rare and exotic wildlife presented in a pleasing pseudo-natural setting. That there was plenty of. Since SeaWorld is very park-like there was a lot of effort to make the "cage" look like the natural surroundings the animals are usually found in. In most cases they look much better than some other places that just put the animal in a simple concrete cage or tank. A couple of the indoor exhibits obviously get a lot of traffic so they even have a moving sidewalk to help move the line along. When we got there early in the morning it was pretty empty so we were able to linger as long as we wanted. By the afternoon the park was getting crowded so we had little choice but to "move along".

My daughter's favorite part of the park was actually Shamu's Happy Harbor. That's basically a huge playground. Even though she was probably too young for most of the activities there she tried them anyway and had a fantastic time. She had a tantrum when it was time to go.

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We're here! Viewed: 79 times.	Nothing says hospitality like beer. Viewed: 74 times.	That's a very small Clydesdale. Viewed: 135 times.
Various penguins inside. Viewed: 111 times.	Other Penguins in a small enclosure outside. Viewed: 92 times.	Just keep swimming... Viewed: 91 times.
Decent shot of a Manatee. Viewed: 106 times.	Scalloped Hammerheads. Viewed: 141 times.	More Hammerheads. Viewed: 97 times.
Great shot of a Blacktip Reef Shark from the "tunnel". Viewed: 115 times.	Scary looking Bull Shark? Viewed: 160 times.	Megladon Shark jaw. Viewed: 482 times.
A Sea Lion checking out the tourists. Viewed: 140 times.	Ready for his close-up. Viewed: 121 times.	Some sea birds look on. Viewed: 88 times.
Polar Bear taking a nap. Viewed: 157 times.	The rolly polly Beluga Whale. Viewed: 149 times.

SeaWorld Shows

The first show we went to was the Dolphin Discovery. There were four Bottlenose Dolphins and two Pilot Whales. Before the show there was a musician to entertain the crowd. Since we got there early we found seats right up front in the "soak zone". There were MANY warnings that the "soak zone" is called that for a reason. Just in case we bought one of their vinyl ponchos. That turned out to be a VERY good idea especially since I was carrying a camera. The show itself was very entertaining and

The second show was Shamu Adventure which was also great. We got there late but still found seats near the front and still in the "soak zone". The show was incredible. It's amazing what animals that big can do. The "soaking" was part of the show but there was also a part where one of the Killer Whales swam around the tank deliberately splashing water on the audience. Once again, it thrilled the little kids and made those of us with cameras duck for cover.

The third show was Fools with Tools, a show feature Sea Lions in some goofy skit about a troublesome Weasel. The show was kind of goofy and amateurish and didn't have a whole lot of tricks. The "soak zone" in this case was mostly for a spray from some sprinklers triggered by one of the Sea Lions. Kind of lame.

The final show we attended at the end of the day was the Pets Rule!. This one had nothing to do with Sea creatures at all but my daughter found it extremely interesting. That's probably because it had the most animals she recognized, such as dogs and cats. Believe it or not there was a soak zone in this show too but also done with just some spray from the stage. It was an amusing show anyway.

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The Pilot Whale says hi. Viewed: 216 times.	One of the Bottle Nose Dolphins says hi his way. Viewed: 146 times.	The Dolphin gets the rope for a trick. Viewed: 199 times.
Three Dolphins jump the fallen rope. Viewed: 154 times.	Impressive jump. Viewed: 143 times.	Another great shot of a jump with a cleaner lens. Viewed: 136 times.
The trainer rides a Pilot Whale. Viewed: 126 times.	Giving the Whale a kiss. Viewed: 283 times.	Wow, what a jump! Viewed: 146 times.
Pilot Whale belly flop! Viewed: 212 times.	Our favorite, the Shamu Adventure. Viewed: 138 times.	Wow! Viewed: 177 times.
Tada! Viewed: 213 times.	Getting some tongue from a Killer Whale. Viewed: 253 times.	Viewed: 173 times.
Some lucky tourist gets to throw smelly fish in a Killer Whale's mouth. Viewed: 174 times.	Amazing an animal that large can jump so high. Viewed: 194 times.	Viewed: 161 times.
Wow! Viewed: 175 times.	That's where the really good seats are. Viewed: 167 times.	Viewed: 204 times.
Our seats where still in the "Soak Zone" Viewed: 232 times.	Our seats for "Fools with Tools" in the nose bleed section. Viewed: 158 times.	Viewed: 95 times.
Viewed: 86 times.	Viewed: 73 times.	That pesky Weasel. Viewed: 79 times.
Viewed: 74 times.	Sea Lion in mid dive. Viewed: 76 times.	Everyone waving goodbye. Viewed: 60 times.
	Viewed: 75 times.

Comments From People Like You! SeaWorld : San Diego, California 2004	add a comment
tabby 07-Oct-2006 20:24
whats your daughters name..do you know the difference between bubbles and niner and do you have pictures...? well since she moved to shamu stadium who is her favorite orca? email back! ps im 13
Kath 27-Nov-2005 10:16
Dear Greg, Thank you for sharing your awesome vacation. My daughter was the pilot whales trainer that you took such beautiful shots of. I don't even have any that I take that are as nice! Thank you so. She was recently transferred to Shamu, and misses Bubbles and Niner so much. She does really enjoy the challenge of her new role with the killer whales. And, I will continue to look for great shots of her. Thank you again.

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