Continuing in San Diego

The day after we went to the zoo we are off to Sea World. Talk about gadabouts!!

Terry and Janice have a plan; we spend the day at Sea World as their guests and pay no entrance fee! Say no more! It is such a savings and we really appreciate it. To top it all off, Janice has a Starbucks waiting for me in the car when she picks us up - what a girl!


The entrance fee is all inclusive; once you are in, there is no further cost except of course food and drink.( It was the same at the zoo.)  We are so busy going to the shows, exhibits and rides that there is no time to eat! We manage a coffee and soft baked pretzel in the afternoon but that is all. There was so much to do.  What an amazing day we have!

There are several aquatic shows; numerous exhibits with sharks, turtles, penguins, whales, flamingos, tide pools and so much more ...   The plan is to get to the shows - each lasts approximately 25 minutes - and in between to visit the exhibits and rides. Lots and lots of walking but today we are on flat ground!

We start off on one of the rides - the Journey to Atlantis. Basically it is a roller coaster ride through water. We watch it first and quickly realise we are going to get very wet. So we pay a dollar for a locker where we leave our watches, outer clothes (jackets), hats, bags and cameras. Stripped down we are ready for anything. The ride takes you through large ponds of water, it twists around corners and climbs way up in the air before dropping you down, around and down again! And then it does it again. Am I mad?

We get very wet! What a start to the day but so fun!!


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We manage to get to all the shows. Orca whales, dolphins, pilot whales and birds, seals and sealions and a show with animals called Pets Rule.

One Ocean features Shamu and his killer whale friends leaping, diving and gliding; Blue Horizons is a bird and dolphin extravaganza.

They are quite wonderful. The shows with Orcas and dolphins are especially amazing. They include some manoevres designed to completely soak as many people in the stands as possible. With their tails they flip out huge sheets of water onto the people sitting in the 'soak zones' - the first 12 rows of the stands! People walk out soaked, but happy!

Beautiful gardens.

The grounds of Sea World are beautiful. Gardens and plants abound. We take the Skytower ride up a 320 ft column which gives us splendid views over Mission Bay and out into San Diego Bay. It is also a chance to sit down and rest for a little while!














Sea World' staff are involved in animal rescue and rehabilitation, and run educational and conservation programmes.

It is an amazing place. I don't think I have seen such enormous displays of fish. The shark exhibit is breathtaking as you walk underneath and beside the enormous tanks where they are held.

To finish off a wonderful day we dine out with Terry and Janice at a Mexican bar and restaurant in Old Town - Acapulco Cafe.