SeaWorld to begin building new attraction
SeaWorld San Diego is poised to begin building its newest attraction, which is designed to mimic an undersea exploration with the help of a mini submarine ride and multiple aquariums.
Expected to debut by late spring of next year, the multimillion-dollar project dubbed Ocean Explorer is part of the park’s ongoing effort to boost attendance while also delivering new reasons for its most loyal visitors to continue coming back. Construction will start right after Labor Day.
The project showcasing marine animals will occupy 3 acres on the southeast side of the park, where the Animal Connections exhibit and Circle of Flags are located. The new attraction combines five rides that are expected to appeal to families with younger children, SeaWorld representatives said.
“We’ve all discussed the need to have fresh, great attractions and the need for a more regular cadence of fairly significant attractions, and we’ve been doing some rebalancing,” SeaWorld San Diego President Marilyn Hannes said. “This one is going to be very educational, where you’ll be able to learn about the marine ecosystem.”
The centerpiece of Ocean Explorer is a three-minute submarine ride that will traverse the oceanthemed area and give riders the sense of being a deep-sea explorer. The subs will be outfitted with digital navigation dashboards customized for different age levels that will allow the riders to answer questions posed to them as they embark on their journey.
Another ride, the wave swinger, will have guests seated in chairs suspended from the tentacles of a giant rotating jellyfish as they fly through thousands of real bubbles.
The introduction of a new attraction comes as all of SeaWorld’s marine parks are trying to revive attendance following declines fueled by persistent criticism from animal rights activists about how the killer whales are treated.
SeaWorld announced this year that it would ban future breeding of its orcas.