Pearl divers bring up soggy souvenirs again
The pearl divers are back in business at SeaWorld Orlando, where themepark visitors are picking out underwater souvenirs again.
In some ways, it’s so very Orlando to turn shopping into a little show and game. SeaWorld’s divers sink into a tank to gather a handful of oysters. We can all see this through glass walls that face a sunken amphitheater on the dry ground adjacent to the park’s Oyster’s Secret store.
Visitors who pay for the pearl experience ($18.98) select an oyster from the hands of a diver who has resurfaced at the top of the tank. From there, buyers move to a desk — so rarely do we use “shucking station” in the newspaper – where the oyster is cracked open to the cheer of “Opa, opa, oyster!” The color of the pearl is revealed, and a bell is rung.
All this is explained and narrated by a host, who ventures into “step right up, folks” territory without completely diving in. Although, on the day of my visit, there were dad jokes. Shucks.
The pearl diving has been an on-and-off thing over the years, even before the pandemic rattled the lineup. The park has brought it back as an element of the SeaWorld Summer Spectacular event, which includes dance parties, special food kiosks, nightly fireworks, a stage show and a concert series. SeaWorld now confirms that the pearl attraction will be in operation after the festival wraps up in early September, too.
Unexpectedly, before the divers jumped in, passers-by peered down into the tanks with anticipation. But once the activity started, there was less interest. Go figure, vacationers.
They might have seen through the windows two divers doing aquabatics, a bit of water ballet, to fill the time between customers. Although a sign indicates we are looking into
Mermaid Lagoon, the divers are not finned up and have human-style legs. It’s also a fun photo op on the base with submerged divers waving in the background.
There are nine rows of curved concrete seats, and the posted capacity is 194 people. That would be more snug than I’d want to be there in a Florida summer.
Among the facts gleaned from our host:
These are Akoya oysters,
which I was surprised to find available (complete with pearls) on Amazon. They are saltwater oysters, thus saltwater pearls, he said.
There are three colors of pearls inside those shells.
The host used different descriptions, including “champagne” and “cream,” but let’s go with white, pink and black. The black ones are the most “rare and beautiful,” a phrase I remember from years ago at the attraction. The pearls are of “gem quality,” the host noted.
On rare occasions, they’ll
find two pearls inside one oyster, like an underthe-sea Publix BOGO.
I wouldn’t hold my breath (unless I were a diver, naturally). SeaWorld’s Summer
Spectacular runs daily through Aug. 6; then it is held on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Aug. 11 through Sept. 3, plus Labor Day Monday. (Four days later, Howl-O-Scream kicks off.) The park also
has a Craft Beer Festival running Fridays through Sundays, beginning July 28 and going through Labor Day.