Sea World San Diego

From LoveToKnow Themeparks

In 1964, Sea World San Diego was founded with a unique vision for a marine park. Rather than just an aquarium, the park was designed with four goals: education, entertainment, research, and conservation. Today, the park is one of the most famous marine zoological parks in the world.

San Diego

Sea World History

The San Diego location – on the shores of stunning Mission Bay – was the first of the now world renowned Sea World parks. In its first year of operation, an outstanding 400,000 visitors enjoyed its then minor attractions, proof of society’s fascination with life beneath the sea. As the park’s popularity continued to grow, other locations – Florida, Ohio (eventually sold), and Texas – were founded as well, and in 1989, the parks were purchased by the Anheuser-Busch Company, adding their personal touch to the parks’ layout but without compromising the four-tier mission.

Education: Sea World parks don’t just exhibit animals, they educate the public about those animals’ habitats, needs, and dangers.
Entertainment: Stunning shows, thrilling rides, and gorgeous exhibits entertain visitors throughout every Sea World park.
Research: Marine biologists study the animals in the exhibits, looking for ways to improve their survival and existence in the wild.
Conservation: Sea World operates a highly developed animal husbandry program, breeding the animals they exhibit, as well as a rescue program for other marine creatures that may be stranded or injured in the wild.

Sea World San Diego Attractions

Visitors to the San Diego park will find a wide range of fun attractions, from exciting rides to equally exciting shows and once-in-a-lifetime animal encounters.

Rides

Sea World San Diego offers several high-tech rides to thrill visitors of all ages, including:

Journey to Atlantis: This unique, five minute water coaster takes riders on a mystical journey through heavily themed areas with multiple special effects, culminating in a dramatic drop and resounding splash.
Shipwreck Rapids: This white water rafting ride incorporates a unique underground cavern and a range of waterfalls to cool off riders.
Wild Arctic: Guests become researchers on this simulated helicopter flight to the Arctic, where they come face to face with polar bears, beluga whales, foxes, and other arctic species.
Sea World Skytower: For great views, the Skytower rises 265 feet above the park, and on a clear day, guests can oversee the entire San Diego area up to 100 miles away.

Shows

Sea World entertainment is more than just a choreographed animal presentation: during shows, trainers incorporate facts and trivia about the animals to ensure that guests leave with more than just a few fun memories. The orca shows are the most popular, and these majestic whales perform in both the Believe and Shamu Rocks shows with different tricks, music, and visual effects. The Dolphin Discovery show featuring the park’s bottlenose dolphins is equally popular, and other lighthearted shows with comedy stunts by sea lions, pets, and other animals are favorites for younger guests. Everyone also enjoys the nightly summer fireworks display set to music – Skyblast. Sea World also arranges limited time holiday shows throughout the year.

Animal Encounters

California sea lion

The most magical moments of a visit to Sea World San Diego are those when guests can actually interact with the park’s residents. Touch areas allow guests to physically meet dolphins, California bat rays, starfish, and sea urchins. For a small fee, guests can purchase fish to feed many of the park’s animals, including California sea lions, harbor seals, Caribbean flamingos, and bottlenose dolphins.

Even closed exhibits – those that do not permit visitors to touch or feed the animals – create close environments to bring guests into personal contact with fascinating marine creatures. Manatee Rescue, for example, is a rare exhibit featuring endangered Florida Manatees that guests can view from different levels and angles. Shark Encounter is a thrilling look at deep water predators, including an awe-inspiring underwater tunnel that gives guests the opportunity to walk amongst dozens of different sharks without sparking a feeding frenzy.

Visiting Sea World

It is no surprise that with so many outstanding attractions, visiting Sea World San Diego can be a highlight for many individuals in the Mission Bay area.

Tickets

General admission park tickets are $65 for adults and $55 for children ages 3 to 9 (children 2 years old and younger are admitted free). There are a variety of discount Sea World tickets available, including season passports with a variety of benefits. Combination tickets allow guests to take advantage of savings at other area parks as well, including the San Diego Zoo, Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland, and Disney’s California Adventure. Guests interested in an even more interactive experience can opt for behind-the-scenes tours that bring them far closer to these incredible marine animals than the park’s regular exhibits.