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SeaWorld San Diego

San Diego, California, USA

“Literally every roller coaster is blue”

The SeaWorld brand is well known due to its presence in Orlando. The Florida park benefits from the popularity of the nearby Disney and Universal resorts, which results in an annual attendance of 4.5 million. But did you know that SeaWorld’s west coast park manages to attract a similar number of guests? In 2023, approximately four million visitors walked through its gates. By the way… the SeaWorld story started here, in sunny San Diego. During the 1960s, four former UCLA students made plans to create a marine show and an underwater restaurant. At the time, the underwater restaurant turned out to be a bit too ambitious, but the show became a reality. The theatre was integrated into a modest park and some attractions were added. SeaWorld was born and the concept proved to be a success. During the following decades, new branches would open in Ohio, Florida, Texas and the United Arab Emirates.

ROLLER COASTERS

Four of SeaWorld’s five roller coasters can be found in the easternmost corner of the park. However, we immediately noticed that we would not get a full coaster bingo during our visit, as Journey to Atlantis was closed. The basin of this water coaster was empty and the boats remained inside. That’s a shame, as Journey to Atlantis counts as one of the most stunning attractions at the park. Although the palace is slightly less impressive than its counterpart in Orlando, this Californian version of Journey to Atlantis also exudes a certain grandeur. Despite not being able to ride, we saw that the attraction features all of the elements that you’d expect from a Mack water coaster. The ride consists of a 20-metre drop, a short roller coaster section and two splashes. In addition, it’s cool that the ride makes use of a vertical lift system, that was integrated in one of the palace towers. Hopefully we will be able to ride it sometime in the future.

SeaWorld San Diego seems to maintain a close friendship with the local supplier of blue paint. Indeed, every piece of (visible) roller coaster track in this park is painted in some shade of blue. As an optimist, you might consider this as a choice for uniformity, which also fits perfectly within SeaWorld’s maritime theme. As a pessimist, you might describe this situation as downright boring. My opinion lies somewhere in the middle, but the word ‘boring’ does apply to the design of the next roller coaster. Emperor is, in fact, one of the least themed amusement rides I’ve ever seen. It was placed in a remote corner of the park, the waiting area is ugly and they didn’t even bother to put a roof above the station. The ride is by no means bad (thanks to its three inversions, the layout of this Dive Coaster actually feels more complete than that of Baron 1898 or Krake), but I just can’t get over the ride’s cheap appearance. Even Six Flags and Cedar Fair usually perform better.

The looks of Arctic Rescue are slightly better than Emperor’s, but it’s still a disappointment if you’re a fan of elaborate theming. The queue and station are rather simple, while the actual roller coaster is on a barren plot of land. On top of that, the track is totally invisible from the walkways, which is a shame from a photographic point of view. The actual ride is perfectly fine, though. This Intamin family coaster makes use of comfortable snow mobile-shaped trains and we’re treated to a surprisingly smooth experience. Besides, Arctic Rescue contains no less than three accelerations and the layout turns out to be longer than I expected.

Do you like accelerations? Then you’ll probably enjoy SeaWorld San Diego. If you hit all five coasters at this park once, you’ll be treated to eight (!) launches. Arctic Rescue provides three of them, and the nearby Electric Eel also accelerates us three times. With a top speed of 100 kilometres per hour and a total height of 46 metres, Electric Eel delivers a rather sensational ride. It’s nothing new for an experienced coaster enthusiast, though. After all, we’re talking about a Sky Rocket II manufactured by Premier Rides. This standard model can be found in several American and European amusement parks, so we aren’t surprised at all. Moreover, I think it’s a pity that the terrible comfort collars are still used here, as these restraints fail to live up to their name.

You know what strikes me about SeaWorld San Diego? The difference in quality between the different rides is huge. Unfortunately, that quality evolved in the wrong direction, as the older rides often look better than the newer ones. One of the older – and thus finer – attractions is Manta. This multi-launch coaster opened in 2012 and was built by Mack Rides. It’s not a huge thrill and some may even consider it ridiculous that the ride is just 9 metres tall. Still, Manta delivers a surprisingly good experience thanks to its two accelerations and powerful curves. The biggest strength of this ride, however, is its visual appearance. Manta is surrounded by tropical greenery, the Polynesian-inspired station is stunning and the logo at the entrance is also extremely photogenic. So… if SeaWorld was able to create such fantastic landscaping in 2012, why can’t it match that quality with the newer attractions?

ENTERTAINMENT

It used to be rather common to keep marine mammals in captivity and let them perform tricks for an audience several times a day. However, the public opinion has changed and that poses a problem for SeaWorld parks. Despite controversy, such shows are still part of the offerings and they remain popular. SeaWorld San Diego has three of these large-scale shows, involving sea lions, dolphins and orcas, respectively. We didn’t attend the dolphin show due to a lack of interest, but we did take a look in the other theatres. At Flippers Facts & Fun – The Sea Lion Experience, we were treated to a surprisingly humorous presentation. The lead roles were played by Californian sea lions Clyde and Seamore, but we also spotted a couple of otters. The show is short, but it managed to put smiles on our faces.

Orca Encounter is the place to be to admire SeaWorld San Diego’s eight killer whales. And although I had already seen their siblings in Orlando and San Antonio, I must admit that it remains an impressive sight. The show was adapted after the Blackfish documentary to portray a more educational and serious character, but they fortunately didn’t cut out all of the laughter. In other words: there’s still a good amount of (soaking wet) fun in the so-called splash zone. Not interested in getting wet? Then please avoid the first 15 rows. Fortunately, there are plenty of other places to experience the presentation from a dry point of view, as this 5,500-seat theatre is one of the largest show venues I have ever seen in a theme park.

OTHER EXPERIENCES

The orcas are the largest mammals you’ll spot at SeaWorld. Yet there are many other animal habitats and aquariums that are equally worth a visit. In my opinion, the coolest venues are Penguin Encounter, Wild Arctic, Turtle Reef and the tropical Shark Encounter. These walk-throughs are anything but huge, but they were elaborately themed. In the cases of Penguin Encounter and Shark Encounter, slow-moving conveyor belts were also installed, which definitely helps to handle the crowds on busy days. By the way… During our visit, SeaWorld San Diego was almost ready to open Jewels of the Sea, a colourful aquarium in which jellyfish will play the lead role.

Speaking of jellyfish… SeaWorld San Diego has one of the world’s most original wave swingers: Tentacle Twirl. This is just one of the park’s many family-friendly flat rides and most of them are themed to underwater creatures. Another striking attraction is the 98-metre-tall SkyTower. This observation tower is at the centre of the park and provides wonderful views of SeaWorld and the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, a ride on SkyTower costs $6 per person on top of your (already steep) admission price. SeaWorld makes clear that entrance fees go directly to protection and care of the animals, but really, such an attraction should just be included. And do you know what the worst part is? The ride turned out to be short and the cabin windows were so filthy that we could barely make any cool photos.

WORTH A VISIT?

California is home to some world-class theme parks, but SeaWorld isn’t one of them. We rode some fine roller coasters, we enjoyed the beautiful setting and we saw a loads of colourful mammals and fish, but the park felt incomplete. The ride lineup isn’t very extensive and mainly consists of roller coasters and children’s attractions. Besides, the level of theming is hit or miss. Especially the more recent additions seem to be based on quantity rather than quality. Visitors also have to reckon with excessive prices for purchases within the park. Merchandising is extremely expensive and I’d never paid $7.50 for a small bottle of coke before. Our lunch wasn’t cheap either and it was definitely inferior to the meals that are served at Disneyland Anaheim, Universal Studios Hollywood or Knott’s Berry Farm. I don’t regret spending a day at SeaWorld San Diego, but I probably won’t visit again in the near future.

What’s your favourite roller coaster at SeaWorld San Diego? And what’s the best park in the chain? Share your opinion in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

This article reflects my personal experience at SeaWorld San Diego during a visit in November 2024.