• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

SeaWorld & Aquatica San Diego

No b.s. on population expansion, as a proportion of overall population, attendance has gone down.
We have argued conservation versus commerce in circles before Mako, we both know we are right.
You are correct of course that I have no specific knowledge or interest in the area, as you clearly do, I just don't enjoy seeing animals contained, especially when they ofter appear to be large animals in rather small containers, for life.
I can remember the animals in the Tower zoo many years ago...absolutely horrendous.
The place for such creatures is the sea.
Going through the sea life in Blackpool on my season pass a couple of years ago is what stirred my emotions, felt fine going in, felt...literally and emotionally...a bit grubby on the way out.
Each to their own, does nothing to me, but the debate is always fun.
...and we never will get that argument in the mouse queue now will we?
 
Between 2012 and 2017, the SeaWorld group saw an overall attendance drop of 14.7%, or nearly 4 million fewer guests. While only managing to add a couple of dollars of extra spend per guest.
Plus a drop of $160 million in revenues in the same period.
And gone from a $50 million profit to a $12 million loss (in 2016, 2017 has a weird charge on it so I've not included in because I'm not an accountant).

So I think it's fair to say that they're not doing very well
 
I'm not arguing that SeaWorld is doing well, they're clearly not, although we do appear to be beginning a turnaround.

I'm arguing that collective attendance at accredited zoos and aquariums in the US overall is doing well, which it clearly is. Of course it would be doing exceptionally if it had another 4 million added to it :)

@rob666 the wild is not as euphoric as it sounds, just this week the marine community has been shocked as we watched a wild killer whale calf be brutally drowned by a fellow pod member. The wild is natural of course but I would argue that with a robust enrichment programme, social grouping and habitat design, life in an accredited zoo or aquarium can be just as fulfilling as in the wild. As I say, not all zoos are created equal, and I would be the first to object to facilities that I thought did not have the best interests of its animals at heart.
 
Sorry Mako,
still smells fishy.
It's not :p

pufferfish1.jpg
 
Quick update: attendance in February of 2018 was up nearly 50% at SeaWorld San Diego when compared to February 2017. I am still cautious but I think the turnaround may be upon us at long last.
 
As this thread just got updated, it seems as though Submarine Quest has been closed for a long period of time according to Screamscape:
Screamscape said:
Park News - (6/2/18) Looks like the local news got word about the closed Submarine Quest attraction at SeaWorld San Diego that has been closed almost non-stop since the end of last summer, with only a brief period of operation reported around Christmas break. While the ride has been essentially erased from the park's website, the popular rumor coming my way is that the attraction may be sitting idle, as is, for a long time to come, as the park may have filed a possible lawsuit against the vendor over issues with the mechanical aspects of the attraction. In most cases the rides have to sit there untouched as potential evidence for the case.
Side note - Dollywood fans will remember how that park opened Timber Tower in 2006, only to have close down about 18 months later after numerous problems took place. The ride then quietly sat there closed as the park took legal action against the manufacture, which was resolved in a private settlement in 2012, followed by the removal of the ride. The site has since been repurposed for the Dropline tower ride added in 2017.
So with that in mind... SeaWorld guests could be staring at the idle Submarine Quest tracks for some time to come before anything takes place.
@MakoMania, do we know any more about the reason why this is closed, out of interest? Real shame, it looked like a fun attraction for kids with some real promise!
EDIT: Here's the Screamscape link: http://www.screamscape.com/html/seaworld_california.htm
 
Let's face it, even I cannot say that Submarine Quest was a great ride. It fell short of expectations of guests and park management alike.

However, the reason for it's closure does appear to be significant mechanical issues and there seems to be legal action ongoing.
 
Let's face it, even I cannot say that Submarine Quest was a great ride. It fell short of expectations of guests and park management alike.

However, the reason for it's closure does appear to be significant mechanical issues and there seems to be legal action ongoing.
Oh dear... doesn't sound too good.

What was so bad about Submarine Quest, out of interest?
 
Out of interest I believe Legoland California are finally bringing Atlantis Submarine Voyage (But with a different name) over to the states. I wonder how SeaWorld will react to one of their competitors having a ride with live fish in it. Submarine Quest can't match up to that.
 
Ooh! Interesting... is that an edited Skyline Attractions Skywarp, out of interest? Would certainly be an interesting fit at SeaWorld San Diego, although it would provide quite a similar experience to Electric Eel if the one at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is anything to go by.
 
Top