Timeline: How SeaWorld grew from a 22-acre park to a nearly 200-acre tourist destination
SeaWorld has grown exponentially over the years, now boasting more than 12,000 animals, in addition to more than a dozen rides catering to various age groups SeaWorld has been a major tourist destination in California for 60 years. The San Diego City Council approved a 50-year lease with Marine Park Corp. for the 22-acre “Marine Park” in 1961. The first Shamu at SeaWorld was captured in 1965 and later acquired by the San Diego park. The company was acquired by Belgian brewer InBev in 2008 for $52 billion. SeaWorld Orlando trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by a 12,000-pound orca called Tilikum in 2010, leading to a series of safety reviews and the removal of trainers from the whale tanks. In 2011, SeaWorld San Diego debuted a new One Ocean killer whale show with no trainers interacting with whales in the water. The city of San Diego is suing SeaWorld for rent payments that went unpaid during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pubblicato : un mese fa di Lori Weisberg in Business Travel
Here is a recap of some of the more memorable moments and milestones in SeaWorld’s 60-year history.
1961: The San Diego City Council approves a 50-year lease with Marine Park Corp., headed by George Millay, for the 22-acre “Marine Park.” He had originally planned an underwater bar at his Reef Restaurant in Long Beach.
1964: Built for $3.5 million, SeaWorld opens March 21. Adult admission at the time: $2.25, annual pass, $4.25. First year attendance: 200,000. Favorite show: Theater of the Sea, starring “sea maids,” two dolphins and one seal.
1965: A killer whale, which would become the first Shamu at SeaWorld, was captured in Puget Sound early in the year and was later acquired by the San Diego park that same year.
1971: In March, a 22-year-old SeaWorld secretary rides the original Shamu for a publicity stunt. The whale tosses her into the water from its back and seizes her legs in its mouth. The killer whale died later that year.
1989: Anheuser-Busch buys four SeaWorlds and two other theme parks for $1.1 billion. The company was acquired by Belgian brewer InBev in 2008 for $52 billion, including Busch Entertainment Corp.’s 10 theme parks.
2009: Blackstone Group buys SeaWorld from Anheuser-Busch InBev for more than $2 billion.
2010: SeaWorld Orlando trainer Dawn Brancheau is battered and drowned by a 12,000-pound orca called Tilikum before a live audience. Her controversial death sparks a series of safety reviews, and the marine parks’ owner, SeaWorld Entertainment, eventually pulls trainers from the whale tanks for good.
2011: SeaWorld San Diego debuts new One Ocean killer whale show but with no trainers interacting with whales in the water.
2013: The highly critical documentary film “Blackfish,” which focuses on Tilikum, is released in theaters in July. Nearly 21 million people watch the film when it airs on CNN in October.
2016: SeaWorld ownership announces that it will end the captive breeding of orcas and also phase out the theatrical Shamu shows.
2017: The San Diego park debuts Orca Encounter, the successor to the long-running Shamu shows, which showcases the natural behaviors of killer whales in the wild.
2018: Electric Eel, SeaWorld San Diego’s fastest and tallest coaster yet, debuts. It’s the first new thrill ride in six years.
2019: Tidal Twister, a coaster tailored for younger kids, opens. Beset by multiple shutdowns, the ride would eventually close permanently in 2023.
2020: The COVID-19 pandemic arrives, forcing the shutdown in March of all theme parks, including SeaWorld. The park partially reopened in August but on a very limited basis with strict capacity restrictions.
2021: More than a year after the pandemic forced the park to shut down, SeaWorld fully reopens, along with other major theme parks in California.
2022: Originally set to open in 2020, the Emperor dive coaster opens in the spring; SeaWorld parks hit milestone of rescuing 40,000 injured, sick and orphaned animals.
2023: The city of San Diego sues SeaWorld for rent payments that went unpaid during the height of the pandemic. The city is seeking $12.2 million, which is a combination of back rent and fees and interest charges; Arctic Rescue opens.