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 SeaWorld
San Antonio, the world's largest marine life adventure park and family
entertainment showplace, presents a splashy lineup of more than 25 sensational
shows, thrilling rides, animal attractions and educational experiences for all
ages.
It's actually four parks in one on 250 acres: a show park, a
rides and slides park, a water park and an amazing animals park. At SeaWorld San
Antonio, there’s something for everyone!
The nine Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks employ more than 15,000
people and include Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla. and Williamsburg, Va.; SeaWorld
Adventure Parks in Orlando, San Diego, and San Antonio; Discovery Cove in
Orlando; Adventure Island in Tampa; Water Country in Williamsburg; and Sesame
Place near Philadelphia.
View the latest animal
updates from the Busch Gardens, Discovery Cove, and SeaWorld Adventure Parks!
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SeaWorld San Antonio boasts the
Southwest's first hypercoaster, the Steel Eel, with its pulse-pounding,
15-story initial drop, speeds of almost 65 mph and non-stop peaks,
valleys and camelbacks that create maximum “air time,” or
weightlessness – a hypercoaster’s signature feature. This “eel-lectrifying,”
state-of-the-art coaster zooms along 3,700 feet of track and covers the
serpentine route in two minutes. |
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Board an inflated raft and
slip-slide your way down five stories of slopes, rapids, pools, spurts
and sudden showers to the splashdown pool. From the top of Sky Tubin',
you’ll have an eagle-eyed view of SeaWorld San Antonio and the
surrounding Texas Hill Country. |
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Hop aboard The Great White –
Texas' first inverted steel roller coaster! You’ll dangle your legs
from ski-lift-style seats and go heels-over-head five times during more
than 2,500 feet of breathtaking loops, corkscrews and other thrilling
maneuvers at speeds of almost 50 mph! The multi-million-dollar ride also
was the first coaster ever built at a SeaWorld Adventure Park. |
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Touch and feed playful Atlantic
bottlenose dolphins at Dolphin Cove. It’s an unforgettable experience
for kids and grown-ups alike! Narrators from SeaWorld’s Education
Department are on hand to answer all your questions about these popular
and fun-loving mammals. |
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More than 200 penguins will
entertain and delight you at the Penguin Encounter – a sub-Antarctic
environment where temperatures hover just above freezing and snow falls
daily, no matter the season! A moving walkway will transport you past
large viewing windows and into the Learning Hall where you can learn
more about polar life and exploration. Another nearby habitat also
houses alcids, aquatic birds of the northern hemisphere. |
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Get wet and stay cool at Splash
Attack … the newest addition to Lost Lagoon. This three-story,
interactive funhouse offers geysers, sprays, dumping buckets, spouts and
other splashy ways to get wet. Swimsuits and towels are a must!
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Give your kids something to
dance and sing about! The Banana Cabana Theater, part of Shamu’s Happy
Harbor, presents Shamu's Island Adventure, a lively musical revue
starring costumed-character Shamu and friends. Catch this great show now
through August 5, 2001! |
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The White Whale and Dolphin
Stadium comes alive with the revolutionary new Viva! Show. This colorful
production features professional high divers, aerialists and
synchronized swimmers performing with the acrobats of the sea –
Pacific white-sided dolphins and beautiful beluga whales – all against
a dramatic backdrop of water screens, waterfalls and fountains. It's the
first of its kind at any SeaWorld Adventure Park. |
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"Hollywood Live on
Ice" features professional figure skaters and singers, and “Clyde
and Seamore's Movie Madness,” is a sidesplitting cinematic spoof with
comical sea lions, Clyde and Seamore.
For the glitzy grand finale, killer whale Shamu takes the spotlight in
“Shamu's Hollywood Night Magic,” a splashy, star-studded gala of a
show with lights, cameras and action … just like in a Hollywood
premiere! |
Whether you're an elementary school student on your first overnight camp, a
middle school student eager to discover the amazing world of animals, a high
school student looking for hands-on activities to prepare for a career, or a
teacher hoping to bring real-world experiences to your classroom, SeaWorld/Busch
Gardens Adventure Camps are for you!
With more than forty years experience educating and entertaining students and
families from around the world, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens are proud to offer
camp programs that promote an appreciation of and a stewardship for animals and
the environment and also provide students with hands-on experiences only
available at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. Many Adventure Campers
return year after year to experience the different camps.
SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Adventure Camps are accredited by the American Camping
Association (ACA). To achieve and maintain this important accreditation,
the camps comply with or exceed standards to ensure a safe and enjoyable camp
experience.
How to register for an Adventure Camp:
- Camp classes fill quickly, so register early. December, January and
February are the best times to register to ensure your desired camp.
- Pick a date and an alternate date for your Adventure Camp program.
Fill out the registration form. Send the completed registration form
and your deposit to the park hosting the camp of your choice. Please
check each program description for individual camp requirements.
- Confirmation materials will be sent 2-4 weeks after receipt of your
registration materials and deposit check. Confirmation materials
include: the confirmed dates of your camp, program schedule, packing
lists, health history form, medical release form, liability releases,
general camp guidelines and coupon for a discount on Southwest Airlines.
Want an up-close encounter with killer whales? Then Dine With
Shamu and enjoy a sumptuous buffet backstage and poolside at Shamu Stadium.
Trainers interact with the whales and answer guest questions about these
magnificent animals. This is an exceptional opportunity for photography
enthusiasts and is available at an additional charge on selected dates
throughout the 2001 season.
Don a wetsuit and slip into the water for a memorable encounter
with beluga (white) whales. The two-hour educational experience includes a
classroom presentation on the beluga's natural history and physiology, a talk on
how SeaWorld trains animals through "positive reinforcement" and an
unforgettable opportunity to interact with the whales in the water. The Beluga
Interaction Program is offered year-round at an additional charge.
Twelve participants meet early in the morning for an educational presentation.
Typical interactions include touching and feeding the belugas and helping
trainers communicate with the animals through hand signals. Guests limber
up and enter 62-degree water under the supervision of a senior member of the
animal training staff.
- The BIP is $150 per participant.
- Fee includes the two-hour Beluga Interaction Program and same-day
admission to SeaWorld San Antonio.
- Each participant may bring observers for $45 per person, which also
includes same-day park admission.
Meet curious, energetic California sea lions in the Sea Lion
Interaction Program. This unique program is offered year-round at an
additional charge. Participants assume roles as “apprentice animal trainers”
and engage in a splashy encounter of the sea lion kind. This hands-on learning
opportunity at the world’s largest marine life adventure park begins with a
classroom session on sea lion anatomy and physiology.
The animal interaction portion of SLIP takes place on both land and in the
water. Participants learn hand signals to request various behaviors such as
spins, hops, flips, vocalizations and even smiles. They also get to feed the
animals and give them special treats such as rubdowns.
Participants must be 10 years or older and be at least 48 inches tall. An
adult must accompany those under 18 years of age.
Sharks - always mysterious, often misunderstood and frequently maligned -
command the wide-eyed attention of participants in SeaWorld San Antonio's newest
animal adventure - the Shark Interaction Program (SIP).
SIP enables animal enthusiasts to put on wetsuits, face masks and snorkels, then
enter the sharks' aquatic domain at SeaWorld's Sharks/The Coral Reef habitat.
From the safety of a steel protective barrier, SIPers go underwater for a
shark's-eye view of the sleek, silent ocean predators. As a bonus, SIP includes
an opportunity to snorkel with and feed stingrays, also members of the shark
family.
"Few animals evoke more fear than the shark," said Dudley Wigdahl,
vice president of zoological operations and general curator. "To help
people better understand these fascinating animals, to help separate fact from
folklore, we decided to add SIP to our in-the-water animal interaction programs.
To our knowledge, no other zoological institution offers such a program with
sharks in a controlled environment."
SIP begins with an education specialist presenting a classroom overview of
sharks, generally large, fast-swimming fish known for their distinctive dorsal
fins and many sharp teeth. Like other fishes, sharks are cold-blooded and breath
with gills. But unlike the more common bony fishes, which have skeletons made of
rigid bone, sharks - and their relatives, rays - have flexible internal
skeletons made of cartilage, like the soft tissue comprising the end of a
person's nose and ears.
Next, SIP participants get into wetsuits and go behind-the-scenes at SeaWorld
San Antonio's shark habitat. Under the watchful eye of shark experts, the SIPers
put on face masks and snorkels, then climb into waist-deep water and submerge to
observe sharks from a steel cage. They get breathtaking views of scalloped
hammerhead sharks from the Gulf of Mexico (some as long as 8 feet) and sand
tiger sharks from the Atlantic Ocean, plus bonnethead, zebra, wobbegong (carpet)
and nurse sharks.
SIP participants then move to a pool adjacent to the shark habitat to touch and
feed spotted eagle rays, cownose rays and southern stingrays, some almost 3 feet
in diameter. Rays, which have been described as flattened-out sharks, are
considered to be the "birds" of the sea because they "fly"
gracefully through water as effortlessly as a bird flies through air. SeaWorld
San Antonio happens to be the only zoological institution in the world where
breeding and births of eagle rays have occurred.
"Coming so close to sharks leaves many SIP participants in complete
amazement," Wigdahl said, "and they literally fall in love with the
gentle rays as they feed and touch them. Both experiences are truly
unforgettable."
SIP joins the popular Beluga Interaction Program (BIP), with beautiful beluga
(or white) whales, and the Sea Lion Interaction Program (SLIP), with athletic,
energetic California sea lions. All three are available year-round, even when
SeaWorld is closed to the general public.
SIP participants must be 16 years or older and at least 48 inches tall.
Observers and participants under 18 years must be accompanied by an adult. All
participants must be able to walk and get in and out of the pool unassisted.
They are not required to be excellent swimmers, but must be comfortable in the
water. Only non-prescription masks are provided to each participant.
Cost per participant is $100 and includes same-day admission to SeaWorld San
Antonio. When the park is closed, cost per participant is $75. SeaWorld season
passport members receive a discount, and gift certificates are available.
Each participant may bring up to three observers for $45 per person, which also
includes park admission. On days when the park is closed, the price is $10 per
observer, the same fee for SeaWorld San Antonio passport members at all times. |
