SV WHISKEY JACK

Canadian family circumnavigating full time aboard a 2001 Leopard 45.

Sea World

Wednesday we went to Sea World.
Sea World is very cool.
We got there at 10.30am so we sat down for the 11am Sea Lion Show. It is a really good set up in a little stadium and a 2 tier stage with a water tank. The 4 host/ performers do a dozen mini skits with the 2 Sea Lions, Seymour and Clyde. They did a Sea Lion Idol, Survivor Sea Lion, and a Rachel Stingray Cooking Show. Lots of fun and really entertaining and Carden sat through the whole thing.

Next we grabbed lunch (okay learned from our Zoo experience and sneaked it in - yes - we were THAT family - sitting on the bench eating our own packed lunch. But it was good, I had made Samosas and fruit salad.

At 1pm we got our seats for the killer whale show. This is what Sea World is famous for. I grabbed seats in row 5 (the "soak zone") and assured hesitant Jeff the sign was just there as a warning for "those" people who complain about cameras getting a drop of water on them!

The show is AMAZING, a must see if you are in San Diego. At the beginning the big screen told the audience that Military get free admission to the park, then one of the trainers took a moment to honor and thank military in the audience and asked them to stand so they could be recognized. Jeff wasn't teary like me, I was very moved by it. The show itself is a really well executed production with music, media screens and the killer whales jumping around in front. The theme is to have the audience believe that anyone can have a connection with a killer whale - (they have a music montage of a little boy paddling out into a cove in a canoe to touch and play with the whales - I totally believe that can happen - and I'm renting a canoe tomorrow) wink

The trainers ride on the whales back and surf through the water with them. Fabulous!
Then they get everyone to chant "Shamu Shamu" and the whale swims over, turns upside down and literally "slaps" the water with its tail sending GALLONS of salt water onto the crowd. And, I must say I think these whales have been practicing because the trainer would point to a seat section and the whale would splash exactly that area.... all the way up to row 16.

Okay, at this point I must tell you I am in awe at my superior ability to trick Jeff into doing stuff over and over. I can not BELIEVE he listens to me. We were SOAKING wet! Carden was crying "No Shamu No Shamu", the whale tank water was shockingly cold. But, within a couple of minutes he was happy again and telling everyone around us how Shamu got him wet. He is now Shamu's biggest fan. We got him a little stuffed killer whale at the gift shop and it sleeps with him and the stuffed monkey from the zoo.

After the Shamu show we passed the boring dolphin tank and a bunch of other fishy stuff and bee lined it for the kids area. Sea World needs to be commended for their kids area. There are 4 towers with big big nets getting up to them and they are connected by more nets, tunnels, slides and hanging ramps. I sent Jeff up with Carden and it took them a good 15 minutes to get up there and walk around and get back down. There are a dozen fairground type games and a water park and 3 amusement rides. We went on the Eel, the flying fish and Elmo's spinning cups. Jeff was super patient and came on the spinning cups with us but Ill tell you I have huge respect for the operator of that ride having to listen to the loud recorded 60 second loop of Elmo's squeaky voice chatting and giggling for an entire shift. Agh
Seaworld was a blast and our tickets let us back for the rest of the year so I'll probably take Carden again.


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