I recently had the chance to head up to the Citadel Outlets for a very exciting announcement for SeaWorld San Diego. Set to open this summer are THREE new experiences marking what will be the park’s biggest expansion in 50 years of operation: OCEAN EXPLORER, ORCA ENCOUNTER, and ELECTRIC OCEAN.
One of the hallamrks for the park is conservation and to showcase some of their efforts, they brought over some of the rescued animals to meet. One of the cuties was Buster–the adorable six-month-old Kangaroo you see me holding above–and Cosmo the Lemur who you’ll see below. In all, SeaWorld has rescued more than 29,000 animals over the past 50 years.
Mike Price, SeaWorld San Diego’s assistant curator of fishes, told us a little more about what’s coming up…
OCEAN EXPLORER
Featuring five new rides and three new animal encounters, this new area will have something for everyone! As adventurers on a global expedition of scientific exploration, guests will travel to Ocean Explorer’s remarkable undersea animals aboard submarines know as Submarine Quest.
Embarking on these mini subs, the signature ride of the attraction, visitors will become researchers on a mission to collect data and learn how they can help animals. This three-minute experience will include an onboard digital navigation dashboard, as well as a few other surprises along their journey, enhancing the riders’ understanding of the ocean ecosystem.
The heart and destination of Ocean Explorer will be a series of undersea research bases housing specially-designed aquariums and interactive activities displaying unique as well as elusive ocean animals. Guests will discover these newly created aquariums, known as research pods, throughout Ocean Explorer.
Ocean Explorer will also feature an exhilarating wave swinger ride where guests will literally fly through thousands of real bubbles in chairs suspended from the tentacles of a giant jelly. Three additional family-friendly rides will round out the fun of this immersive, new attraction.
ORCA ENCOUNTER
Once you step into the stadium, you will be able to notice the first change right away. Making a more natural environment the stadium will feature natural rock work, water features, and a huge giant infinity screen that will display facts about their hunting behavior, family behavior, and more. But don’t worry, it will still feature some of your favorite moments from the old show, like being splashed!
ELECTRIC OCEAN
Think Disney’s Glow Fest and you have a good idea for what his fun late night attraction will bring a new glow to the park. We were treated to a fun performance with dancers completely decked out in glow makeup and lights. ELECTRIC OCEAN will be a fun way for fans of the dance party to get into the action. Also, with the sneak peek performance came the announcement of ELECTRIC EEL rollercoaster.
Coming to SeaWorld in 2018, ELECTRIC EEL will be the first of its kind coaster. Multiple-launch experiences will propel riders forward and backward as they speed through the ride’s station house accelerating to more than 60 miles per hour in seconds. Riders then rocket skyward nearly 150 feet where they will brave an inverted “heartline” roll and a twisting loop for an exciting feeling of airtime as riders crest the top before breathlessly returning to the station. This adrenaline-pumping coaster will offer riders the only upside-down view of Mission Bay.
As SeaWorld looks to find more ways to bring people into its gates, there’s a wealth of great new experiences on the way. Summer 2017 looks to be an exciting one for the marine park!
