Tuesday 22 April 2008

Seaworld San Diego

Today was Seaworld Day. It was a must do on our list and since the weekend was over and the sun was out, we figured it was the right way to go. The San Diego version has roughly the same animals the Aussie one has, but in somewhat more cramped, not as well presented quarters. The San Diego version does have a few notable additions; Beluga Whales, Pilot Whales, Walruses, Sea Otters and, the big one, Orcas. Neither of us had ever seen any of those animals in the flesh so it was all very exciting.
 
The only distressing thing was the limited space for the whales. I know there are reasons for them to be in captivity, but it still upsets me. The larger enclosures at the Gold Coast version are much better for the animals.
 
The seal show was definitely geared for kids, but it was cool to go see it anyway. The difference with this one was the trained otters and a walrus of all things. There was also a mime who was more out of place than the walrus.
 

The big attraction for Seaworld in San Diego (& Florida apparently) is the Orca show, "Believe". San Diego have 7 Orcas & they rotate them through the 2 shows per day. Seeing such large creatures jump & flip was something else. I can't wait to see them in Alaska & around Vancouver Island.
The show was little bit over dramatized in typical American fashion, but if you can cut through the b.s. it's well worth a look. Again the cramped enclosure was a touch upsetting.
One of Seaworld's little schemes is to get you to fork out a fist full of cash so that you can get up close and personal with the orcas while you're having lunch. I would be a bit more cutting about it, except for the fact that Seaworld do a lot of good with animal conservation and rescue. They can't do that without a lot of money.