A Visit to Sea World, San Diego (established in 1964)

View of Sea World from Above

restaurant inside Sea World

                       

Bayside Sky Ride

                                        

We went to Irvine to put up in our friend’s house as he was away and he was generous enough to permit us to stay in his spacious house for two days. The distance from Irvine to San Diego is nearly 85 miles and so we could easily go for sightseeing without much strain. Irvine is a spacious city with many companies and universities. It has got many tourist attractions but we confined our trip to San Diego only due to limited time schedule. The climate was also quite dry and hot and as we have children in our group we did not wish to cause much strain to them. We went directly to the famous Sea World which provides both fun and information for all.

It is advisable to book tickets online as the price is comparatively less that is 59.99 dollars as against the counter price, 94.99 dollars. It would also save time of waiting in long queues. The opening hours are from 10.00 am to 9.00 pm. Here for elders and disabled people, strollers and wheel chairs are available on hire. Besides having an aquarium it has animal theme park, roller coaster rides, marine mammal park and a lot of games for children to play and enjoy.  This park is operated by Sea World Entertainment and adjacent to this there is Hubbs Research Institute which does research in marine biology and provides detailed information to public on marine themes. In Sea World there are 26 animal habitats, fifteen rides, two play areas and twenty four special time-limited events. The entrance has a beautifully decorated façade with colorful figures.

Dolphin Show

                      

Sea Lion Show

Polar Bear (Wild Arctic)

Flamingoes and ducks

Decorative statues of marine creatures on the way

 We hurried to see Dolphin Show which commences at 11.00 am and the second show at 2.00 p.m. A huge crowd was seen all sitting on the steps of galleries. In the lake a few dolphins were seen performing many acrobatic feats as the instructors were playing with them and throwing food whenever the dolphins obeyed their commands with clock-like precision. They swam very close to the audience and allowed themselves to be touched with affection. Their eyes looked quite human and expressive of their innate feelings. They sprang up into air and leapt in curves splashing enormous jets of water on the clothes of people seated near the lake. Their dancing movements and swimming skills captured everyone’s attention, especially children who shouted and laughed with joy. Next we proceeded to Amphitheater to witness the dramatic performance of sea lions which was a very superb and thrilling show. The sea lions obeyed the directions of the trainers in a perfect manner, expressing emotions and feelings in their every movement in spite of their bulky bodies. We never thought that marine creatures would act in such a wonderful manner expressing through their movements every delicate emotion and thought. The Asian small-clawed otters also complimented the show by their funny acts in their own typical manner.

 By the time the show was over we felt quite hungry. Luckily we bought two all-day dining pass tickets priced at 35 dollars each by which we can have our food at all times till the closing hour. As it was very hot we had to buy many water and juice bottles to rehydrate ourselves. Later we went to Bayside Sky ride, a six-minute ride on two 80-foot towers moving around a loop.  It gives you a beautiful view of bay and the scenic surroundings around. Floating above sea waters and the green trees gives a refreshing feeling to anyone. Later we took "Shipwreck Ride" which gives you an experience of a ship caught in storm and tossed about in a jig jag manner. Our boat went up and down and whirled as if we were caught in a thunder storm. The sudden jerks and turns resulted in splashing of water on our clothes. We sailed through tunnels and narrow ways flanked by huge rocks and jets of water fell on our heads drenching us from top to bottom. Amid this commotion people screeched and shouted with thrill as they neared the bank.  With wet clothes we immediately went to dryer booths nearby to get warm again. One has to pay six dollars to avail this facility. As we have limited time we did not watch “Pets Rule” at Nautilus Amphitheater. In that show animals like dogs, cats, pigs, ducks, emus, porcupines and kangaroos perform various feats.  We watched a swarm of rose-colored flamingoes strutting on the platform surrounded by a circular pool. Hawaiian geese and ducks are also quite cute and pretty. The popular killer whale show “Shamu Rocks” was stopped in November, 2015 and so some of us felt disappointed for missing that special performance.

Journey to Atlantis

Ship Wreck Ride

Shipwreck Ride

Penguin Encounter

Turtle Reef Aquarium

Walrus in Wild Arctic Show

Sting Ray Aquarium

We proceeded to watch the Wild Arctic Simulator Ride Show. The whole room looked like a giant helicopter and we sat in our seats securely fastened. We suddenly felt as if we were lifted into sky and carried away with rapid speed. We could see the ground below dotted with hills, buildings and busy roads. Suddenly with jig jag movements we landed amidst huge snow glaciers where we saw flocks of penguins, seals and polar bears. A very fantastic view conjured by technological miracle! The light and sound effects coupled with cold temperature make us feel quite realistic. After the show we were led downstairs where we can see real Arctic animals and fish—like seals, walruses, polar bears and adult beluga whales. Next some of our team members went out to enjoy “Journey to Atlantis”, a Mac Ride Water Coaster. We rested near the Stingray Fish Aquarium where we saw many multicolored stingray fish and Jelly fish floating in water.

Sea Dragon Drop

Tentacle Twirl

Octa  Rock Ride

Abby's Sea Star Spin

 Children love to enjoy many rides here such as Aqua Scout (submarines that spin and bounce), Sea Dragon Drop (a gigantic swing that moves back and fro), Tentacle Twirl (a swing ride themed as jelly fish),  Abby’s   Sea Star Spin ( moving in teacup shaped seats) , Octa Rock (swing high into air), Manta (soaring and diving coaster), Skywalk Maze (a bridge covered on both sides for children), bouncing floor etc. “Explorer’s Reef” has four different touch pools to interact with a variety of fish like brown banded sharks, white spotted sharks, horse shoe crabs and many other kinds of fish. On the east side of the park behind Penguin Encounter one can see “Owen Center” where many rescued birds are kept in aviaries. This park has special facilities to rescue and take care of many endangered species of marine fish and animals like seals, sea turtles, sea otters, octopuses and dolphins. There are four aquariums for 
both fresh water and marine fish and creatures. Here some seasonal night shows are also organized now and then. There was so much to see. But our time is very limited and so we returned quite satisfied and a little bit tired also.

 This place gave us an opportunity to have a glimpse into the magical world of marine life with so much variety in shape, size and color as well. We will miss this abundant variety of life if we do not care and protect them. The ultimate purpose of places like these is to inculcate in our minds about the need to conserve life gifted by Nature and seen only on this planet. This organization has established Sea World in Ohio in 1970 and in Orlando in 1973. The largest Sea World was established in San Antonio in 1988. If one has time and patience, there is so much to explore and enjoy !

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     24th September, 2017                                        Somaseshu Gutala