Sea World has changed a lot since I was there 10 years ago! It’s bigger, with more activities, more animals, and bigger shows. We saw all of the shows but one, which was the killer whale show, “Believe.” A baby orca was born at 4:48 p.m. on Monday, 3/12. The female was put in the show tank before her labor so that both her and her calf would have plenty of room to bond once the calf was born. The show tank is where both of the orcas will stay until they are comfortable with being separated. This is why the “Believe” show was cancelled.
Once we walked in the gates, we had about 45 minutes until the Clyde and Seamore show. For those of you who don’t know, Clyde and Seamore are male sea lions. This is a great show for all ages, and it is even fun to wait for the show to start. There is a mime who picks on the people who come in, and if you get there early enough, you get to watch him. We were lucky; we got our seats before he started!
Early in the day, we visited some of the more popular exhibits before they became too busy. Our first stop was the Loggerhead Sea Turtle exhibit. These turtles are the South Carolina state reptile, and they breed on Myrtle Beach. When these animals are in captivity, they can not breed because the turtles will only lay their eggs on the beach where they are born. Even in captivity, they are very cool animals to watch, and if they are taken care of, we can remove them from the endangered species list.
After visiting the sea turtles, we walked over to watch the stingrays. Once we got there, we found out that you can touch them as they swim by. I thought that they would be firm and rough, but they are actually fleshy, soft, and smooth. They ranged in size from about 10 inches to around 4 ½ feet! We touched quite a few rays, which is a really neat experience. Just watch out for the stingers!
From here, we went to watch the sea lion show. After that, we decided to go visit the sharks and eels. When you walk in, there are aquariums which contain smaller sharks, as well as exotic fish. In these tanks, we saw large fish (the types that you catch when you go deep-sea fishing), Green Moray Eels, lionfish, barracudas, and dragons. The eels were a new experience for me, as I had never seen one before. They are long (some reach over 10 feet), with fleshy faces. Their eyes are interesting. They look villainous!
The lionfish were very neat. They are one of the few species of venomous fish, so watch out! They are fairly small, and have white bodies and reddish brown spots all over them. Large eyes look as if they are too big for their small faces. These amazing fish get their name from the numerous tentacles stemming out of the body. If you touch them, you will have a reaction similar to a jellyfish, except with a much more potent poison.
The next tank housed one of the greatest predators of the coral reefs, the Great Barracuda. These are long, silvery animals who are more dangerous than sharks. They have pointed heads, glinting eyes, and full rows of pointed, sharp teeth which allow them to tear into their prey. These features, in addition to their irritable tempers, make them ferocious predators.
The last tank held dragons, some of the most fascinating fish that I have ever seen. They look like pieces of coral. They have thin, branched bodies which is great camouflage from predators. If they attach themselves to coral, they can mimic the waving patterns of its surroundings, hiding them from any passing predators.
After finishing with the smaller tanks, you are able to take a short walk through a museum of shark jaws. Some of them were huge! Have you ever heard that if a shark loses a tooth, a new one grows in its place? Technically, that isn’t true. If a shark loses a tooth, all of the teeth behind it move forward. Then a new tooth grows on the end of the row.
When the museum ended, you walked onto a conveyor belt type floor and you rode through a glass tunnel. On the opposite side of the glass was a large aquarium filled with nurse sharks, leopard sharks, swordfish, stingrays, and other assorted fish. The swordfish was really neat to see, as were the other sharks. It’s sort of weird though, knowing that all that separates you from 50 or more sharks is a three-inch glass wall!
We walked out of the tunnel and decided to do the “Wild Arctic” ride before seeing what we thought was going to be the “Believe” show. The Wild Arctic is a building where you see arctic animals in simulated habitats. Before you get to see the animals though, you go on a “helicopter” ride. Actually, you sit in a seat, which is inside a helicopter-themed room. In front of the seats is a screen which shows you the arctic scenery as you “fly” from Florida to the “Arctic”. The seats vibrate and actually make you feel as if you’re flying. It was really cool!
After you reach the arctic base camp, you walk through a short corridor and into the beluga whale exhibit. These are gentle animals with short flippers, rounded heads, and a graceful, curving body which allows them to glide effortlessly through the icy arctic waters. Mom said that their rounded heads made them look as if they ran into a wall.
Next to the beluga whales were the most popular animals of the arctic, the polar bears. These big, furry animals flourish in the icy climate. But even the polar bears at Sea World couldn’t compare to Magnet, the famous polar bear of the Baltimore Zoo. He is always in the water doing the backstroke. Still, it is neat to see them in a very natural environment.
From the polar bears, we went over to the walruses. These were the animals that I really wanted to see. I never dreamed that they were so big! The one would swim in a circle underneath the walkway, and when he would come around, you could see just how large they really are!
Then, after exiting the Wild Arctic, we went over to the Shamu Stadium where the “Believe” show was to be held. This is when we found out that the show was not running because of the baby being born. Instead, they were letting guests in to watch the mother and calf interact. The park also released a video of Taima during her labor. We saw her in the beginning, while she was having her contractions, through the whole laboring process, and we saw the baby as it was born. The calf was a healthy six-foot, 350 pound orca. This brings Sea World’s total of birthed baby orcas to 23, 15 of those having been born in Orlando. Sea World is the largest orca conservation program in the world, which is obvious by the number of whales that have been born. It was great to see a baby orca, which will grow up to be one of the great Sea World Killer Whales.
Once the baby exhibition was over, we decided to go visit Clyde and Seamore’s friends, the sea lions. There were both sea lions and harbor seals in the exhibit. Some of them were just lying on the rocks, sunning themselves. Others were great picture material! There was one who sat right on top of a large rock, close to the wall. He just sat there and barked, which may not be interesting to some, but it sure made for great pictures!!! There was one sea lion who looked twice as big as some of the others, and he barked the whole time (which is extremely loud!) They are amazing animals that you never tire of seeing.
After the sea lions, we located our seats in the Whale and Dolphin Stadium for the “Blue Horizons” show. This featured both bottle-nosed dolphins and whales in a fantastic show. The dolphins never cease to amaze me because of their speed and athletic ability. They are able to launch themselves high into the air and execute multiple front flips with ease. The whales were almost as impressing. Despite their heavy bodies and square heads, they can rocket themselves into the air, and they make much bigger slashes than the dolphins.
Then the show came to a close, as did our day at Sea World. We stopped by the gift shop to get souvenirs, and then headed to NYPD Pizza for dinner…a delicious conclusion to a wonderful day.
Once we walked in the gates, we had about 45 minutes until the Clyde and Seamore show. For those of you who don’t know, Clyde and Seamore are male sea lions. This is a great show for all ages, and it is even fun to wait for the show to start. There is a mime who picks on the people who come in, and if you get there early enough, you get to watch him. We were lucky; we got our seats before he started!
Early in the day, we visited some of the more popular exhibits before they became too busy. Our first stop was the Loggerhead Sea Turtle exhibit. These turtles are the South Carolina state reptile, and they breed on Myrtle Beach. When these animals are in captivity, they can not breed because the turtles will only lay their eggs on the beach where they are born. Even in captivity, they are very cool animals to watch, and if they are taken care of, we can remove them from the endangered species list.
After visiting the sea turtles, we walked over to watch the stingrays. Once we got there, we found out that you can touch them as they swim by. I thought that they would be firm and rough, but they are actually fleshy, soft, and smooth. They ranged in size from about 10 inches to around 4 ½ feet! We touched quite a few rays, which is a really neat experience. Just watch out for the stingers!
From here, we went to watch the sea lion show. After that, we decided to go visit the sharks and eels. When you walk in, there are aquariums which contain smaller sharks, as well as exotic fish. In these tanks, we saw large fish (the types that you catch when you go deep-sea fishing), Green Moray Eels, lionfish, barracudas, and dragons. The eels were a new experience for me, as I had never seen one before. They are long (some reach over 10 feet), with fleshy faces. Their eyes are interesting. They look villainous!
The lionfish were very neat. They are one of the few species of venomous fish, so watch out! They are fairly small, and have white bodies and reddish brown spots all over them. Large eyes look as if they are too big for their small faces. These amazing fish get their name from the numerous tentacles stemming out of the body. If you touch them, you will have a reaction similar to a jellyfish, except with a much more potent poison.
The next tank housed one of the greatest predators of the coral reefs, the Great Barracuda. These are long, silvery animals who are more dangerous than sharks. They have pointed heads, glinting eyes, and full rows of pointed, sharp teeth which allow them to tear into their prey. These features, in addition to their irritable tempers, make them ferocious predators.
The last tank held dragons, some of the most fascinating fish that I have ever seen. They look like pieces of coral. They have thin, branched bodies which is great camouflage from predators. If they attach themselves to coral, they can mimic the waving patterns of its surroundings, hiding them from any passing predators.
After finishing with the smaller tanks, you are able to take a short walk through a museum of shark jaws. Some of them were huge! Have you ever heard that if a shark loses a tooth, a new one grows in its place? Technically, that isn’t true. If a shark loses a tooth, all of the teeth behind it move forward. Then a new tooth grows on the end of the row.
When the museum ended, you walked onto a conveyor belt type floor and you rode through a glass tunnel. On the opposite side of the glass was a large aquarium filled with nurse sharks, leopard sharks, swordfish, stingrays, and other assorted fish. The swordfish was really neat to see, as were the other sharks. It’s sort of weird though, knowing that all that separates you from 50 or more sharks is a three-inch glass wall!
We walked out of the tunnel and decided to do the “Wild Arctic” ride before seeing what we thought was going to be the “Believe” show. The Wild Arctic is a building where you see arctic animals in simulated habitats. Before you get to see the animals though, you go on a “helicopter” ride. Actually, you sit in a seat, which is inside a helicopter-themed room. In front of the seats is a screen which shows you the arctic scenery as you “fly” from Florida to the “Arctic”. The seats vibrate and actually make you feel as if you’re flying. It was really cool!
After you reach the arctic base camp, you walk through a short corridor and into the beluga whale exhibit. These are gentle animals with short flippers, rounded heads, and a graceful, curving body which allows them to glide effortlessly through the icy arctic waters. Mom said that their rounded heads made them look as if they ran into a wall.
Next to the beluga whales were the most popular animals of the arctic, the polar bears. These big, furry animals flourish in the icy climate. But even the polar bears at Sea World couldn’t compare to Magnet, the famous polar bear of the Baltimore Zoo. He is always in the water doing the backstroke. Still, it is neat to see them in a very natural environment.
From the polar bears, we went over to the walruses. These were the animals that I really wanted to see. I never dreamed that they were so big! The one would swim in a circle underneath the walkway, and when he would come around, you could see just how large they really are!
Then, after exiting the Wild Arctic, we went over to the Shamu Stadium where the “Believe” show was to be held. This is when we found out that the show was not running because of the baby being born. Instead, they were letting guests in to watch the mother and calf interact. The park also released a video of Taima during her labor. We saw her in the beginning, while she was having her contractions, through the whole laboring process, and we saw the baby as it was born. The calf was a healthy six-foot, 350 pound orca. This brings Sea World’s total of birthed baby orcas to 23, 15 of those having been born in Orlando. Sea World is the largest orca conservation program in the world, which is obvious by the number of whales that have been born. It was great to see a baby orca, which will grow up to be one of the great Sea World Killer Whales.
Once the baby exhibition was over, we decided to go visit Clyde and Seamore’s friends, the sea lions. There were both sea lions and harbor seals in the exhibit. Some of them were just lying on the rocks, sunning themselves. Others were great picture material! There was one who sat right on top of a large rock, close to the wall. He just sat there and barked, which may not be interesting to some, but it sure made for great pictures!!! There was one sea lion who looked twice as big as some of the others, and he barked the whole time (which is extremely loud!) They are amazing animals that you never tire of seeing.
After the sea lions, we located our seats in the Whale and Dolphin Stadium for the “Blue Horizons” show. This featured both bottle-nosed dolphins and whales in a fantastic show. The dolphins never cease to amaze me because of their speed and athletic ability. They are able to launch themselves high into the air and execute multiple front flips with ease. The whales were almost as impressing. Despite their heavy bodies and square heads, they can rocket themselves into the air, and they make much bigger slashes than the dolphins.
Then the show came to a close, as did our day at Sea World. We stopped by the gift shop to get souvenirs, and then headed to NYPD Pizza for dinner…a delicious conclusion to a wonderful day.
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