The latest, greatest in coaster thrill rides may be getting all the attention lately at SeaWorld, but earlier this month it was playful orcas, porpoising penguins and ravenous otters that were drawing all the crowds.
Credit the return of Inside Look, a quasi-behind-the-scenes experience that exposes park guests to the playful side of its animals while also educating them about the marine creatures’ natural behaviors in the wild.
The new Inside Look programming began a year ago and was so well received, it was expanded this year. It was scheduled for select weekends this month and again in June and September.
While this month’s theming is about the animals’ playtime, June’s Inside Look will focus on the infant residents of the San Diego theme park, and September presentations will be all about animal husbandry, including the rescue work done by SeaWorld.
A bit less scripted than the park’s more formal animal shows, Inside Look on a recent Saturday offered up a number of both captivating and whimsical moments.
It was hard to take your eyes off two of the park’s sea otters as they tried to crack open giant ice cubes filled with the meat from crab claws. Mocha, the 7-year-old, clutched the giant cube in her paws while in the water, reached back behind her head and began furiously banging the ice on the rim of the pool to release the edible treasure inside.
“This simulates what they would do with shellfish,” said trainer Erin Brown, explaining that the animals are foraging. “Otters don’t like to share so they’re each going to get one.”
They later were treated to “otter pops,” frozen, fish-filled cylinders (not the fruit-juice variety sold in stores) that they banged repeatedly on the hard surface outside the pool to extract the shrimp, clams and octopus.
Over at the killer whale underwater viewing area, SeaWorld staff used a few of the dogs from the park’s Pets Rule! show to entice the orcas to come close to the acrylic perimeter. One of the dogs, a chocolate Lab, was especially excited by the whales, leaping up repeatedly and pawing the acrylic.
Some of the six orcas would then glide to the surface of the water, lured by kelp from Mission Bay that one of the trainers tossed in.
“They will sometimes drape the kelp on their pectoral flippers and share it with each other, or bring it to the guests to show them,” said Lindy Donahue, a former killer whale trainer and now a show producer.
Visitation rebound
Other animals shown at play included dolphins, sea lions, sea turtles and penguins, which would leap out of the water and then dive back in, much like a porpoise, as they chased after fish thrown in the water.
“I’ve been working here for nearly 20 years and this is the best event we do, because it’s at the core of what we do and care about,” Donahue said.
While that may be true, SeaWorld has been recently shifting some of its focus to more thrill-inducing, attendance-building rides such as the just announced Mako coaster that the San Diego park boasts will be its tallest coaster yet. When it opens in 2020, it will also be its third roller coaster in as many years.
As parent company SeaWorld Entertainment works to rebuild attendance since the dropoff following the 2013 release of the anti-captivity film “Blackfish,” it has turned to more thrill rides. Last year, the parks, most notably SeaWorld San Diego, saw a rebound in visitation.
Many of the park’s annual passholders were out in force on the recent Saturday, some of them induced to come because of the Inside Look presentations. For those who attended all six of the different animal viewings, they were entitled to pick up a special commemorative pin.
“I like the mixture of attractions,” said Gabriel Reynoso, visiting the park with his friend Sarah Paddock. They each brought their children along. “You can do the rides and still see the animals, the core of SeaWorld.”
Added Paddock, “We’re passholders and that’s how we found out about this. That was our goal, just to come for Inside Look.”
Meredith Roderick, who came to the park for the day with multiple family members, including five children, discovered Inside Look after wandering around SeaWorld and planned to check out all the animals in the “playtime” series.
“It’s really cool to learn more about the animals,” she said. “We saw the dolphins and didn’t have to sit in a show. You can see them in a more up-close manner, and the trainers are there talking to you. The older kids with us are really enjoying it and spouting off all the facts they learned.”
