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SeaWorld

This article is about the American theme park chain. For the unrelated Australian theme park of a similar name, see Sea World (Australia). For other uses, see Sea World.

SeaWorld
OpenedMarch 21, 1964 (1964-03-21)
Operating seasonYear-round
Attendance20.2 million (2021)[1]
Attractions
Total47
WebsiteOfficial website

32°45′57″N 117°13′35″W / 32.7657°N 117.2263°W / 32.7657; -117.2263

SeaWorld is an American theme park chain with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. It is a proprietor of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, animal theme parks, and rehabilitation centers owned by United Parks & Resorts. The parks host shows starring marine mammals, especially dolphins (including orcas) and pinnipeds (e.g. sea lions), as well as zoological displays featuring various other marine animals.

The parks also feature thrill rides, including roller coasters like Kraken, Mako and Manta at SeaWorld Orlando, and Steel Eel and The Great White at SeaWorld San Antonio. Journey to Atlantis, a combination roller coaster and splashdown ride, can be found at all three parks.

There are operations located within the United States in Orlando, Florida; San Diego, California; San Antonio, Texas; later outside the United States such as Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; and previously Aurora, Ohio. On March 5, 2007, SeaWorld Orlando announced the addition of the Aquatica water park to its adventure park, which already includes SeaWorld and Discovery Cove.

The parks were bought in 1989 by Busch Entertainment Corp., the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch, which is best known for brewing beer. In 2009, Busch Entertainment was sold to the Blackstone Group and subsequently renamed SeaWorld Entertainment. In 2013, Blackstone sold 37% of SeaWorld Entertainment in an initial public offering and sold its remaining 21% holding to Zhonghong Zhuoye in 2017.[2] It is a major theme park competitor to Six Flags, Cedar Fair, Disney Experiences and Universal Destinations & Experiences.

The parks' marine mammal collections have been the subject of public debate and criticism over the years, with critics saying that the park's practices entail animal abuse. The 2013 documentary film Blackfish, produced after a SeaWorld Orlando trainer was killed by one of the park's orcas, led to initial decreases in attendance, profits and the company's share price. In 2018, SeaWorld's attendance and revenue began to recover with the addition of new rides, shows, and animal exhibits at its parks, as well as increased marketing about the parks' conservation and rescue efforts.[3]

In 2016, SeaWorld announced that they would end their in-park orca breeding program and eventually phase out their theatrical orca shows altogether (due to state legislation in California that banned shows using orcas) starting in San Diego.[4][5] It was announced later in the same year, that SeaWorld would build their first park without killer whales and outside of the United States in Abu Dhabi. However, in 2020, SeaWorld reversed course and started introducing new orca live shows to guests.[6]

  1. ^ "Number of visitors to SeaWorld Entertainment parks from 2010 to 2021". Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  2. ^ Ramakrishnan, Sruthi (March 24, 2017). "China's Zhonghong Zhuoye to buy Blackstone's stake in SeaWorld". Reuters. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  3. ^ Tonya Garcia (August 7, 2018). "SeaWorld stock soars 18% as visitors return to its parks". www.marketwatch.com. MarketWatch, Inc. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  4. ^ "SeaWorld to End Killer Whale Breeding Program". ABC News. March 17, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  5. ^ "SeaWorld Agrees To End Captive Breeding of Killer Whales". NPR.
  6. ^ Bevil, Dewayne. "New 'Orca Encounter' show joins SeaWorld Orlando lineup". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
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