SeaWorld San Diego facts for kids
| Previously known as SeaWorld of California and SeaWorld Adventure Park |
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| Location | 500 Sea World Drive, San Diego, California, United States |
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| Coordinates | 32°45′57″N 117°13′38″W / 32.765751°N 117.227275°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | March 21, 1964 |
| Owner | United Parks & Resorts |
| Operated by | United Parks & Resorts |
| General manager | Jim Lake |
| Theme | Ocean Adventure and Exploration |
| Slogan | Real. Amazing. |
| Operating season | Year Round |
| Attendance | 3.5 million (2022) |
| Area | 189 acres (76 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 16 |
| Roller coasters | 5 |
| Water rides | 2 |
| Website | SeaWorld San Diego |
SeaWorld San Diego is an exciting theme park located in Mission Bay Park in San Diego, California. It's a special place where you can see amazing ocean animals, learn about them, and even help with their rescue! This park opened way back on March 21, 1964, and was the very first park in the SeaWorld family. Today, both the park and the entire chain are owned and run by United Parks & Resorts.
SeaWorld San Diego is a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). This means it meets high standards for animal care and education. Right next door, you'll find the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. Scientists there study marine biology and teach everyone about important ocean topics and how to protect marine life.
Contents
The History of SeaWorld San Diego
SeaWorld was created in 1964 by four friends: Milton Shedd, Ken Norris, David Demott, and George Millay. They were graduates from UCLA and first dreamed of building an underwater restaurant with a marine life show. When that idea proved too difficult, they decided to build a park instead!
SeaWorld San Diego opened its doors on March 21, 1964. It started small with just a few dolphins, sea lions, 6 attractions, and about 22 acres. But it was a huge hit! More than 400,000 guests visited in the first year.
The success of SeaWorld San Diego led to more parks. SeaWorld Ohio opened in 1970, followed by SeaWorld Orlando in 1973. Later, SeaWorld San Antonio opened in 1988. Over the years, the company that owns SeaWorld parks has changed hands a few times. In 2024, the company, formerly known as SeaWorld Entertainment, officially changed its name to United Parks & Resorts.
Exciting Attractions at SeaWorld San Diego
Amazing Animal Shows
SeaWorld San Diego offers wonderful shows that change with the seasons. They are a great way to learn about ocean animals!
- Orca Encounter: This live show teaches about the park's killer whales. You'll learn about their lives, how their bodies work, and how they adapt to their environment. The show focuses on showcasing these incredible animals.
- Dolphin Adventures: This show teaches about the amazing whale and dolphin family. You'll see dolphins leap and play!
- Sea Lion and Otter Spotlight: Get ready for a fun and educational show featuring playful California sea lions and clever Asian small-clawed otters.
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Orca Encounter
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Orca Encounter
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Sea Lions Live
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Sea Lions Live
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Dolphin Adventures
Thrilling Rides for Everyone
Bayside Skyride: Soaring Over the Bay
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The Bayside Skyride is a fun gondola ride that first opened in 1967. You'll travel high above Mission Bay, enjoying amazing views of the park and the water!
Ocean Explorer: Adventures for Young Explorers
Ocean Explorer opened on May 27, 2017, and is designed especially for younger children. It has three exciting attractions:
- Octarock: A swinging experience.
- Sea Dragon Drop: A smaller version of a drop tower.
- Tentacle Twirl: A wave swing ride with a cool jellyfish theme.
An older ride called Submarine Quest, which explored the deep sea, closed in 2019 and was later removed.
Riptide Rescue: A High-Speed Mission
Riptide Rescue is a thrilling ride with 12 gondolas that look like rescue boats. Get ready for a fast-paced adventure!
Rescue Jr.: Heroes in Training
Rescue Jr. is an interactive play area for kids that opened in 2008 as Sesame Street's Bay of Play. It was re-themed in April 2023 to focus on sea rescue and aquatic animals. It includes three rides:
- Tidepool Twist: A spinning teacup attraction.
- Rescue Riders: A flying ride similar to Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
- Rescue Rafter: A tug boat ride themed like a raft.
Shipwreck Rapids: A Wild Water Adventure
Shipwreck Rapids is an exciting river rapids ride that makes you feel like you're on a deserted island after a shipwreck! Be prepared to get wet!
Skytower: Views from Above
The Skytower is a tall, 320-foot gyro tower built in 1968. It slowly rises and spins, giving passengers a fantastic six-minute view of SeaWorld and all of San Diego.
Tentacle Twirl: Spin with the Jellyfish
Tentacle Twirl, which opened on May 31, 2017, is a fun Wave Swinger ride. It's built by a German company called Zierer and has a cool jellyfish theme.
Awesome Roller Coasters
Arctic Rescue: A Snowmobile Adventure
Arctic Rescue is a super-fast launched roller coaster that opened on June 2, 2023. This family-friendly coaster has an arctic theme and is the fastest and longest straddle roller coaster on the west coast of the United States! It replaced the Wild Arctic simulator ride. Arctic Rescue has three launches, reaching speeds of up to 40 mph, and its special straddle seating makes you feel like you're riding a snowmobile.
Electric Eel: A Jolt of Fun
Opened on May 10, 2018, Electric Eel is a thrilling coaster that stands 150 feet tall. It reaches speeds of up to 62 mph, giving you a real jolt of fun!
Journey to Atlantis: A Watery Quest
Journey to Atlantis is a unique water coaster that opened in 2004. This ride combines the excitement of a roller coaster with a splashy water ride! It reaches a height of 95 feet and speeds up to 42 mph.
Emperor: The Tallest Dive Coaster
Emperor is an incredible Dive Coaster that opened on March 12, 2022. It's the tallest, fastest, and longest dive coaster in California! With a height of 153 feet, it features a huge 90-degree drop that reaches speeds of over 60 mph.
Manta: Glide Like a Ray
On May 26, 2012, SeaWorld San Diego opened Manta, a fantastic launched roller coaster. It has two launches that speed you up to 43 mph! The ride is also connected to a bat ray aquarium and a shallow touch pool where you can gently touch bat rays, white sturgeons, and shovelnose guitarfish.
Tidal Twister: A Twisting Challenge
Tidal Twister opened on May 24, 2019. This ride reached a top speed of 30 mph. However, the ride was shut down in late 2023 and removed a few months later.
Amazing Animal Exhibits
Orcas: The Ocean's Giants
SeaWorld's most famous animals are its orcas, also known as killer whales. Eight of these magnificent creatures live at SeaWorld San Diego in a huge 7-million-gallon pool. The name Shamu was first given to an orca brought to the park in 1965. Today, "Shamu" is the name of the friendly costume character you might see at the park entrance.
In January 2017, SeaWorld San Diego changed its orca shows to focus more on education. The Orca Encounter presentation now gives amazing insights into an orca's life and behavior.
Wild Arctic: A Journey to the Cold North
SeaWorld's Wild Arctic exhibit is home to many animals that live in cold waters. Here you can see beluga whales, walruses, harbor seals, and southern sea otters. In the past, polar bears also lived here.
Seals & Sea Lions: Playful Pinnipeds
At SeaWorld San Diego, you can visit exhibits featuring different types of pinnipeds, which are fin-footed marine mammals. These include California sea lions, harbor seals, and Guadalupe fur seals.
Aquariums: Underwater Worlds
SeaWorld San Diego has many aquariums, big and small, filled with different kinds of aquatic animals. The Ocean Voyager aquarium is home to cool creatures like Moray eels, octopuses, and giant Japanese spider crabs. Underneath the Manta coaster, the Ray Aquarium features local Californian rays and fish. In summer 2025, the Bayside Aquarium opened, showcasing several endangered or threatened species that SeaWorld is working to protect.
Explorer's Reef: Get Up Close!
Opened on March 21, 2014, Explorer's Reef is an exciting area where you can interact with marine life. It has four different touch pools! Here, guests can gently touch a variety of fish, including 400 brownbanded bamboo sharks and white-spotted bamboo sharks, along with more than 4,000 cleaner fishes and horseshoe crabs.
Dolphins: Smart and Playful
SeaWorld San Diego is home to three species of dolphins. You can see common dolphins, as well as a special hybrid common and bottlenose female dolphin named Bullet. There are also Atlantic and Pacific bottlenose dolphins, and Pacific and Atlantic short-finned pilot whales. Two common dolphins, Cardiff and Chance, were rescued locally in 2024 and now live permanently at the park because they were too young and injured to be released back into the wild.
Park Visitors
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,000,000 | 4,000,000 | N/A | 4,260,000 | 4,260,000 | 4,147,000 | 4,200,000 | 3,800,000 | 4,294,000 | 4,444,000 |
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| 4,311,000 | 3,794,000 | 3,528,000 | 3,528,000 | 3,100,000 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2,800,000 | 3,510,000 |
Sesame Place San Diego
SeaWorld Entertainment bought a water park called "Knott's Soak City" in late 2012. In 2013, it reopened as Aquatica San Diego. This water park is located about 23 miles southeast of SeaWorld San Diego.
On October 21, 2019, SeaWorld Entertainment announced that Aquatica San Diego would become Sesame Place San Diego. This was the first Sesame Place theme park on the West Coast! Aquatica San Diego closed its last season in September 2021, and then reopened as Sesame Place San Diego on March 26, 2022. The new park kept many of the fun water attractions from Aquatica San Diego.
Images for kids
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Close-up with the dolphins.
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Sea Lion being fed by a guest.
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At the 18th annual Kids First Fair.
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SeaWorld Rescue Team members working with the U.S. Navy evacuating an injured sea turtle.
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Beluga whale in the Wild Arctic exhibit.
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Dolphins jumping at a show.
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American flamingo in one of the ponds.
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Fireworks at night.
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See also
In Spanish: SeaWorld San Diego para niños
- SeaWorld
- Aquarium
- Water park
- Amusement park
