I apologize for not writing anything sooner. I’ve just been really busy this month and frankly had some struggles for what to write about. However, now I have something worth sharing: my trip to SeaWorld!
I celebrated my 31st birthday yesterday and in the weekend preceding, Mom surprised me with a pair of day tickets to SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, about an hour and a half’s drive from my current residence in Tampa. I have only been to the SeaWorld in San Diego, California, and that was only when I was about 6 or 7. So, you better believe I was excited for this trip!
When we arrived, we had to wait–I kid you not–for the better part of an hour in line just to get into the park. I guess it’s our mistake for making the outing on a Saturday. We tried to get there as early as we could, but there was no way around the line. The wait was well worth it, though, and immediately we started wandering through the park.
The first thing we came across was the Dolphin Nursery, where baby dolphins as young as 10 months old were being fed and trained by SeaWorld handlers. It proved to be a small taste of what was to come.
We had arrived a little early for our main shows, so we killed some time by going to the Shark Encounter attraction. There we saw all kinds of sharks (no Great Whites, though) and even some pretty large stingrays. Most of the sharks we saw were bottom-dwelling like epaulettes, angels, and nurse sharks.
One thing the exhibit makes very clear is that, contrary to popular depiction, most sharks don’t attack people, and when it does happen, it’s incredibly rare. In fact, you’re more likely to get struck by lightning than to be the victim of a shark attack. If we respect these animals and don’t treat them as a threat, then we’ll never have a problem with them.
After seeing the sharks, mom and I took a trip up to Pacific Preserve point, where we were greeted by a horde of sea lions and seals. Even some exotic birds were standing on the rocks. Being from California originally, I had seen seals and sea lions before, but I never got this close to them. Nor did I ever think I would get to feed them!
You could buy a tray of kippers for 6 dollars to feed to the seals. A lot of them went to the one you see up above as he was the closest to me. However, some sneaky birds managed to get them as well. Those birds were so close to me I could have touched them. I wouldn’t suggest you do, though: they’re very aggressive.
We killed enough time to go see our first show, which was…
…The dolphins!
I remember watching a dolphin show at the San Diego SeaWorld, and being close enough to get splashed. Luckily, mom and I were higher up this time so there was no risk of that. However, I’m still amazed at the show. Apparently these dolphins have lived their entire lives at the park and are trained by park staff. They did some amazing tricks, including not just jumps like you see above, but “front waddles” and even responding to commands from the audience.
Watching all of that was amazing. I felt like a kid again, despite entering my 30s. Something else I noticed while I was at the park is almost all the visitors were middle-aged married couples with their children. Me being the only unmarried 31-year-old man with his retirement-age mom just drove that home. But, I was still happy. I felt like I could enjoy myself again after all the crap 2020 had given me.
But the best was not yet over.
After the Dolphin Show ended, Mom and I traversed all across the park to get to the main event and the big finale of my day at SeaWorld: the orcas (or Killer Whales)!
I can’t possibly describe how awe-inspiring these creatures are. Obviously, most killer whales don’t perform tricks and show off for onlookers in the wild, but you really get a sense of just how massive and powerful they are. Every time they splashed, the front rows got completely soaked. Thankfully Mom and I were high up to see everything (and I didn’t want to risk ruining my camera) but a part of me wish I could have gotten splashed. It would have just heightened the experience.
Killer Whales sit at the top of the food chain in the wild. They don’t have any natural predators…but they’re not invulnerable.
SeaWorld makes no bones about how killer whales, dolphins, sharks, and all forms of aquatic life can be snuffed out if we don’t respect them and take care of our ocean. It’s no surprise then that SeaWorld often partners with local conservation groups and with marine biological surveys to see that the whales and fish are living healthy lives. Over and over, they make it clear that we have a responsibility to keep our water clean and to treat these creatures with the respect they deserve.
Overall it was an amazing trip that I won’t soon forget, which made my 31st birthday that much more memorable. It’s just as well, since this may be my last chance to go to a place like SeaWorld. Already, Mom and I are discussing plans to visit Epcot in the spring or summer before I inevitably leave Tampa. If that happens, I’ll be sure to share it with all of you.
As for my next post, I’m actually preparing something regarding my editing adventure of my World War II historical romance series, American Now Departed. In the time since I completed the series back in 2017, I’ve gone back and made copious revisions and edits to make the story more accurate, more dramatic, more realistic and just a better read all around. So, be sure to look out for that some time in February.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the photos!
Until the next blog post,
Historyman101
Musings of a Cynic 
It looks like so much fun! Like you, I only went there when I was 6, but I would love to go again as an adult. I’m happy to see Sea World is open, even during the Covid craziness.
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