SeaWorld to Break Ground on New Attraction

SAN DIEGO, CA — SeaWorld will break ground on a new attraction Wednesday that is designed to "inspire guests to explore the depths of the oceans and take action to protect the amazing creatures who inhabit them," it was announced Tuesday.

Ocean Explorer is scheduled to open in late spring 2017 and will feature multiple aquariums, rides and digital technologies to engage park guests in an experience centered on exploration and adventure, said SeaWorld San Diego Spokeswoman Kelly Terry.

SeaWorld has invited special guests to share in Wednesday's groundbreaking ceremony. San Diego City Councilwoman Lorie Zapf, San Diego Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jerry Sanders and San Diego Tourism Authority President and CEO Joe Terzi will be joined by SeaWorld’s President Marilyn Hannes and more than a dozen seventh- and eighth-graders from Knox Middle School.

Terry said the signature ride of the Ocean Explorer attraction will be mini submarines, which will turn visitors into researchers on a mission to collect data and learn how they can help animals during a three-minute experience including an onboard digital navigation dashboard.

The heart and destination of Ocean Explorer will be a series of undersea research bases — or pods — housing aquariums and interactive activities displaying unique as well as elusive ocean animals. Visitors will come eye-to-eye with giant Pacific octopuses, Japanese spider crabs (largest arthropod in the world) and Moray eels. Educational displays, technologies and graphics will be key components of each pod.

In addition to the mini subs, the Ocean Explorer realm will also feature a wave swinger ride with chairs suspended from the tentacles of a giant jellyfish, an Octopus swing ride, a jump-around submarine ride and a bounce/drop ride.

Image courtesy of SeaWorld San Diego