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Experience the Sea at Orlando’s Sea World

By Mark Whichard

Education, entertainment, wildlife conservation and thrills are what you can expect at Orlando’s SeaWorld. This park has been called the most popular marine-life park in the world, and it certainly lives up to its reputation.

At SeaWorld you can get up close to dolphins, stingrays, water turtles, penguins and the other creatures that inhabit the seas of the earth. Let’s look at some of the attractions that you can experience at this park.

The Wild Arctic is a popular favorite.  Here, you'll enter a frozen wonderland with walls of ice nearly a half-inch thick. Exploring this multi-level ecosystem, you'll encounter abundant Arctic animal life seemingly drawn to the old ship. This includes face to face encounters with real walruses, beluga whales, and two famous polar bears named Klondike and Snow. 

Do you like penguins? If so then you should make it a point to visit the Penguin Encounter attraction. It is Sea World’s “slice of the Antarctic” and here you can watch penguins waddle about and enjoy themselves.

Stingrays have a fearsome name, but contrary to the name and the reputation they are among the most docile animals of the sea. Visit Sea Worlds Stingray Lagoon and you can watch 200 rays glide through the waters of their protected home. If you put your hand just below the surface, you’re likely to get a velvety “high five” as they swim by. In a nearby nursery, stingray pups learn and play under the watchful eye of SeaWorld’s animal care experts, always on hand to tell you anything you want to know about these graceful, mysterious creatures.

At Turtle Point you can view 300 sea turtles, ranging from tiny hatchlings to 6-foot-long leatherbacks. At Turtle Point you can also learn about and watch some of the endangered and threatened species of sea turtles. Here, these prehistoric-looking reptiles reside in a naturalistic lagoon complete with a beach, sand dunes and indigenous plant life.

Pacific Point Preserve is a recreated Los Angeles nature preserve featuring California sea lions. Here you can meet, touch and even feed some of these remarkable animals. Be sure to get a spot at Pacific Point Preserve at feeding time and you’ll be in for a treat. This laid back community of California sea lions and harbor seals are always ready to entertain a crowd with their animated vocals and endless antics. 

In addition to the thrill and wonder of seeing amazing sea creatures up close, the park also has sea-themed thrill rides. One of the newest is Journey to Atlantis.

Here is how the Sea World website, www.seaworld.com, describes this ride: “Brave twists, turns, and watery falls of mythical proportions as you explore the mysterious, lost city of Atlantis aboard this thrilling water coaster ride. Journey along a dark, watery passageway through this sunken city guarded by sirens, whose fury casts riders out on some of the steepest, wettest plunges you’ll find, sending you racing out of the gates of this ill fated utopian paradise.” You can expect to get wet on this ride, so be prepared.

To top off the thrills, SeaWorld is also home to the Kraken, the tallest, fastest, longest and only floorless roller coaster in Orlando.  That’s right, it has no floor! Imagine a roller coaster that takes you to heights of a 15-story building, and puts you upside down seven times at speeds reaching 65 mph! Whew, that's Kraken and it can only be found at SeaWorld. (You must be 54 inches tall to ride).

Mark and Susan Whichard are Orlando tourism experts and write frequently about attractions in and around Orlando. Mark and his wife Susan are the proprietors of Quality Villa Rentals Orlando. You can get great deals on Orlando vacation homes and villa rentals at this website http://www.qualityvillarentals.com