One of Orlando's largest theme parks, SeaWorld's aquatic theme mixes marine animal shows with up-close sea-life encounters and three of the best roller coasters around. Its traditional drawcard were the live shows featuring trained dolphins, sea lions and killer whales, but the company is slowly pivoting away from these shows in reaction to the negative PR and falling visitor numbers that resulted from the 2013 documentary Blackfish, which alleged serious mistreatment of its captive orcas.
The film is a damning portrayal of the effects of keeping killer whales in captivity and charts the life of Tilikum, an orca at SeaWorld Orlando that was involved in the deaths of three people, including one of its trainers during a live show. Since its release, many animal welfare groups have come out in support of the film. Research by conservationists shows it is harmful and stressful to keep such sensitive, complex creatures inside an enclosed tank.
While SeaWorld initially countered that the filmmakers were guilty of giving false and misleading information, the fallout from the controversy was severe enough to cost one CEO's job and a thorough re-evaluation of the park's focus, which is now geared firmly toward its roller coasters and its animal encounters, with a strong emphasis on education and conservation. The much criticised "One World" killer whale show has been replaced by the twice daily "Orca Encounter," where you learn about these animals rather than watch them do tricks. Of every penny you spend in the park, 5% goes to various marine life conservation programs.
SeaWorld's marine-themed, adrenaline-pumping roller coasters, however, brook no argument. Kraken is a whiplash zip of twists and turns in carriages with no floor so your feet dangle free. On Manta you lie horizontally, face down, several to a row, so that the coaster vaguely resembles a manta ray, and dive and fly through the air in this position, reaching speeds of almost 60mph. The newest ride, Mako, is the best of the three: replicating the high-speed twists and turns of a mako shark in full flow, the glass-smooth hyper coaster has a top speed of 73mph and features serious airtime as you "float" over some of the bumps. There are also many attractions for the under-10s.
