Seaworld Revisited

The first time I ever went to SeaWorld was with Ira, fifteen years ago. We had a few free hours before our flight, so we planned a quick visit. I remember petting stingrays, sprinting across the park to catch every show, and thinking Bud Light Lime tasted amazing while sitting on metal bleachers under the hot San Diego sun.

So what do you do when someone gives you free passes to SeaWorld? Silly question. You:

  1. Download the show schedule to ChatGPT (naturally).
  2. Generate the most efficient itinerary as a calendar file.
  3. Download the SeaWorld app to prepay parking and navigate the park like a pro.
Because...time is money, people! 

Our Itinerary

9:45-10:15am - Arrival & Entry
Nice and early, just as the gates opened.

10:15-10:30am - Moray Eels Talk

Ira and I both remember seeing the eels the first time we came. According to the eel keeper,  they're the same ones! Moray eels can live for decades, and apparently the 40 or so in the tank live in harmony because they're not naturally aggressive.

California Moray Eels

10:45-11:00am - Fish & Turtle Feeding

The turtles lived in a massive tank, and since it was early, not too crowded. We stayed for awhile just watching the green, loggerhead, and hawksbill sea turtles gliding through the water. 

Loggerhead Sea Turtles

I didn't get a photo of the hawksbills, but the green sea turtles are at the top of the photo below.

Green Sea Turtles

11:15-11:30am - Sea Otter Trainer Talk

The audio was tough to hear, so we didn't learn much...but the otters were adorable. And since the trainers were working with them we got to see them up close.

Sea Otter

12:00-12:30pm - Orca Encounter

The orcas are always a showstopper. It's a little sad to see them in captivity, but the trainers explained that all the SeaWorld animals were either rescued or born in captivity and can't survive in the wild. One had a curved dorsal fin--only ever seen with captivity-born whales.

Rescued and captivity-born whales

Orca jump

Orca Flip

The first ten rows of the stadium are the Splash Zone, and yep--it lives up to the name.

Splash Zone

12:30-1:00pm - Flippers, Facts & Fun

I remembered this show from our first visit--it's geared towards kids, but still so much fun. Sea lions are brilliant performers.

Sea Lion show

1:00-1:30pm - Dolphin Adventures

We packed our own snacks and water, so instead of a lunch break we went to the dolphin show. I love dolphins.

In front of us, the parents of two young kids filmed the entire show on their phones--never looking up once. It made me hesitate to take out my camera at all, though I did snap a few. I made a point of keeping the phone down and enjoying the moment.

Dolphin show

Dolphin trick

Quick Return to the Arctic Zone

With a little time before the next show, we revisited the Arctic exhibits we'd missed earlier.

Puffins

These are Tufted Puffins, named for the yellow feather tufts around their heads. I loved watching them swim!

Puffins

Beluga whales

We caught the tail end of the beluga whale trainer talk--wish we'd seen it on the schedule, the website let me down! Still, we got to watch them up close for a bit.

Beluga whales

Beluga swimming

Walrus Flip Turn

This walrus did a perfect underwater flip several times before I finally captured it.

Walrus Flip Turn

2:30-3:00pm - Penguin Feeding

I love penguins. It's nearly impossible to watch them and not smile.

Penguin feeding

We lingered here until I realized--if we hurried, we could catch a second dolphin show. So we did! And this time I didn't even take out my camera. I watched the whole thing, fully present. 

Final Stop: Jellyfish House

On our way out--gift shop detour, naturally--we got sidetracked by the Jellyfish house.

Did you know jellyfish are older than dinosaurs?

Jellyfish

These moon jellies, common in coastal waters, look like they belong on another planet.

Moon jellies

And then it was time to head home with our embroidered turtle and ceramic canoeing penguin ornaments in hand to remind us of the day.

A dopo!





Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 5, 2025 at 4:54 PM

    So many great Sea World shots!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DarleneAugust 5, 2025 at 10:32 PM

      A lot of them were Ira's shots, he's not the assistant blog and photo editor by accident LOL

      Delete

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