Spending Halloween at SeaWorld

Having looked around my hotel enough, I spent the evening at SeaWorld. It was my first time there so I didn't really know what to expect. It was a very memorable treat.

One of the things I'd long heard was a great show was the killer whales. One was scheduled for about thirty minutes after I passed through the gates so I made my way there. The show was titled Believe and was an impressive display of training, trust, and treats. I'd seen video of parts of these shows before but it was really touching to see how the performers all interact so well.

Of course, what's Halloween without costumes and candies? Sea World did an excellent job of positioning people in water related costumes around the grounds, many with cleverly disguised barrels of candies for the kids... and were there kids?! You were never really far from someone under the age of ten but it never really felt crowded to me. It was a very nice promotion.

I didn't put my hand in the water to touch the stingrays. People do ... Steve Irwin did... but not at Sea World.

The underwater viewing of the dolphins was pretty cool but very dark for photography. I was able to pull the lower left image out of the darkness to share a little of the playful nature on display.

The penguins are always good for a photo or two.

The hotel concierge had recommended the Shamu Rocks show as one of the favorite attractions. It was scheduled for the last half hour of the park day and seemed like it could be a nice way to wrap up the evening. I headed over and a block away could hear the crowd and feel the anticipation. This show was after dark and set to some pretty fun classic rock and roll music. Some of the same tricks were performed as in the earlier show but, in the dark, they had a new excitement. Unfortunately, the low light made photography more challenging but I think you get the idea of the presentation.