"For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)/It's always our self we find in the sea"--e.e. cummings

This was my very first trip to Sea World, and I absolutely loved it! It was nearly perfect. The animal exhibits were interesting and well done, and the animal shows were amazing. The only problem was the heat. It was 90 degrees, and there was very little shade. Here we are after only a couple of hours . . . we didn't drink enough either, so we were all pretty wiped out.

That said, I had a blast. I loved the Arctic exhibit. It had polar bears, walruses, and belugas. Nate was particularly proud of this pic of a polar bear scratching its back.

Here's a rescued walrus (like the San Diego Zoo, Sea World rescues and rehabilitates animals from all over the world).

Ryan was fascinated with this tortoise: it was a lot bigger than the one at my aunt and uncle's house.

We enjoyed watching them feeding the penguins; these are temperate penguins that live in warmer areas (but they didn't care much for the extreme heat either). It was so interesting because the trainer knew each individual penguin and they would shake their heads when they had had enough fish (they don't eat when they're full).


This is the shark exhibit. Ryan liked it so much we saw it three times. There is a moving walkway that goes through this acrylic tube underneath the shark tank. It was fascinating to see all those teeth up close!


Sea World has started a relationship with Sesame Street. They were constructing and about to open a huge Sesame Street play area, but we were able to see their 3-D movie (very fun) and the Beach Party Bash (not as fun for the adults, but Ryan loved it, so it was very worth it).

We loved all of the animal shows and interactions with animals. Unfortunately, our camera battery ran out, so I don't have pictures of the dolphin or sea lion and otter shows. However, I am very glad I got this on film (even if it didn't turn out very well). Mom and I were both able to pet a dolphin!! We were both really excited. It felt like soft wet rubber. My excitement was tempered a little by the fact that neither Ryan nor Nate were able to touch one. But I was still so happy to do something that I'd always wanted to do.


Of course, we had to go to the Shamu show. For days afterwards, Ryan would shout, "Left fin, right fin, Shamu, Shamu!" (That's the command the entire audience shouts to get the orca to splash.) We loved the show (all of the shows, really), and I was so pleased to get these shots to share!