Just Visiting : SeaWorld San Diego

Okay, so this past week I was treated to a unique and interesting experience.  Rather, to me it was rather unique because I'd never been to SeaWorld before. At least, not that I know. Let me just say this, it was a very interesting place to go and there's really a lot to see.

SeaWorld San Diego
500 Sea World Dr
San Diego, CA 92109

Now, when they told me we were going to SeaWorld, I was kinda intrigued. Because I didn't really know what to expect. So I decided we were going to bring home Shamu in the trunk. I was told nope, and shrugged. I was surprised to find out how big they really are. But they're adorable too. But I'm really kind of getting a head of myself I think.

Ok so everyone knows that there are a lot of animals at SeaWorld. And a lot of things there are educational, and it's interesting to have the chance to actually touch some of the animals. I really liked the tide pool area. I got to pick up and look at a live starfish. I found out that it's actually called a bat star. (aiiii! See there are bat's in the ocean!) Bat Stars come in different colors, and the reason isn't really for anything beyond basic genetics. It's the same sort of thing that decides if we're going to be a blond, brunette, or a ginger.

I also got to poke at a sea urchin, which I was surprised to see wiggle it's stick like pokey barbs around when I gently poked them. THEN it started it sprouted little tendril things which I found out are it's feet. None of the tide pool animals move very fast though. I even got to poke a sea anemone which felt like a wet sticky rubber band.

I also liked getting to pet marshmallow fish again. AKA rays. They really do feel like wet marshmallows. I love how they move in the water, they kind of flip they're fins and tails so elegantly in the water. They're amazing to watch and seem so sweet.

The whales though. Just...WOW, I never really realized how big they really are. Or that they could splash so much. At the  Shamu Show, Polka Dot and me sat in t he splash zone (partially because the night before he had told me that I wasn't being very courageous so I wanted to prove him wrong.) Yeah... by the time the whales were done splashing at the end of the show I looked like a drowned rat, and Polka Dot was very cranky and complaining that his sneakers were wet, and all his clothes were wet. But I didn't care, I think it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. I hadn't expected it, but I really did enjoy it.

Alright, so I know some of you were hoping to see something more interactive. Unfortunately I haven't gotten the piranha feeding video edited yet. I'll probably post the piranhas in the future, but for now it's on the back burner due to real life timing issues. So, for now here is a video of the whale show that someone kindly posted to you tube. So you can see why Polka Dot ended up all wet and cranky.

All in all, SeaWorld is a very enjoyable place to visit. I would definitely enjoy going again if I ever have a chance to in the future. But I learned a lot, and had a chance to see some things I never really ever would have thought about getting to see. So if you're thinking about going, you should. It's totally worth it.