SeaWorld takes a pause on coasters in favor of a new jellyfish attraction
SAN DIEGO » When SeaWorld unveils its next big attraction, don't expect another thrill ride with hair-raising twists and turns. Instead, jellyfish — minus the stings — will be the star attraction next spring when the park debuts a dozen aquariums filled with the gelatinous sea creatures.
Dubbed “Jewels of the Sea: The Jellyfish Experience,” the planned attraction, announced Thursday, is a firstof-its-kind exhibit for any of the SeaWorld marine parks. Housed in the park's former Clydesdale barn near Journey to Atlantis, it will be designed to allow visitors to see up close the tentacled marine animals in a threeroom gallery that will be enhanced with special lighting and theming. The barn has been largely unused for the last several years.
Four species of jellyfish — Moon Jellyfish, Pacific Sea Nettles, Upside-Down Jellyfish, and Comb Jellies — will be on display in variously shaped tanks, among them an 18-foot tall cylindrical acrylic aquarium, which will be the centerpiece of the attraction. Notable for their saucer-like shape, translucence and thin, trailing tentacles, jellyfish can be visually mesmerizing. It's not uncommon to see some species near the San Diego shore or in the bay.
Except for a two-year pause due to the pandemic, next year will mark the first time since 2018 that SeaWorld won't be introducing a new ride as its signature attraction for the year. SeaWorld Entertainment's other two marine parks — in Orlando and San Antonio — are sticking with the tried-and-true thrill ride theme, which in past years has helped boost attendance.
Orlando will debut “Penguin Trek” a family-friendly coaster that will transport riders on an expedition through the Antarctic wilderness aboard snowmobile-styled ride cars. San Antonio's new attraction will be Catapult Falls, described as the first “launched flume coaster” and the only vertical lift in North America.
Earlier this year, the San Diego park debuted Arctic Rescue, its fourth coaster in five years.
Eric Otjen, SeaWorld San Diego's vice president of zoological operations, said it made sense to refocus on marine life while also educating visitors about ocean health.
“Our focus is always on marine life, that's our main thing — education about the marine life we care for — so it was just time for an animal attraction in San Diego,” he said. “We're really excited to have an animal habitat added to the San Diego park and are constantly looking forward to the best way to expand our park and attractions.”
Not only will visitors to the new attraction be able to easily view the various varieties of jellyfish, but they'll also be able to see them in their different life stages and sizes. Jellyfish in general do not live more than a few years, said Danielle Castillo, curator of aquariums for the park.
“For jellies, they're an indicator species, meaning they're a good telltale sign of the health of the ocean,” she explained. “And the fact they're so mysterious and that people have a legitimate fear of jellyfish, we want to allow people to get up close to them and learn about them so they can understand what causes them to sting. They're this gelatinous plankton that floats through the ocean and they're beautiful and they're a food source for a lot of animals like sea turtles and the ocean sunfish right off our coast.”
While the park already has some moon jellies, it will be acquiring the other three species from other aquariums that already house jellyfish and are propagating them, Otjen said. But the San Diego park will also be accelerating its own program to propagate jellyfish.
“We want to give the impression you're walking into a world a lot of people don't get to be in,” Otjen said. “Jellyfish are beautiful, and a lot of people don't know a lot about them so you'll walk into this nice, calm, darkish area, with nice music playing, and you'll see these beautiful creatures all around you.”
The design of the 11,000-square-foot space is still being formulated, so SeaWorld was unable to offer much detail on lighting and other embellishments planned for the interior of the attraction. The park will, however, offer an upgraded experience — a behind-thescenes tour — for a still undetermined price that will allow visitors to see the area where new jellyfish are being cultured and propagated. There will also be an opportunity for people to touch a moon jelly, and a member of the husbandry staff will lead the tour, Castillo said.