USA: New Ocean Explorer Theme Area at SeaWorld San Diego Now Open

California’s SeaWorld San Diego recently opened its new “Ocean Explorer” theme area featuring five new family attractions, three aquariums and the new “DeepSEEVR: Orca 360” Virtual Reality (VR) experience, which is located in the park’s so-called “Simlab” (a futuristically-designed laboratory with large, eggshell-shaped swivel chairs). The new VR attraction enables visitors to enjoy a virtual dive amongst orcas and other sea creatures, offering exceptional views of close proximity. Equipped with Head Mounted Displays (HMD), the guests dip into a virtual, 360 degrees’ underwater world to discover the world of the killer whales. In a true SeaWorld style, the new experience has also an educational bent, e.g. by demonstrating how a behaviorist takes a blowhole sample for veterinary exams.

The imagery is based on live-action, stereoscopic video captures, for which SeaWorld’s creative technology division Deep Blue Creative had developed special camera equipment safe for the orcas and suitable for filming in salt water. The high-resolution images create a new kind of animal encounter for visitors and a fully immersive experience. The park offers the new, 7.5 minute long VR experience two times per hour, for up to ten persons at a time. Teenagers aged 13 years and older can try out “DeepSEEVR: Orca 360”, which is not included in the admission to the park and which requires a pre-booking.

Besides the virtual orca encounter, the Ocean Explorer realm hosts five new rides: The family dark ride “Submarine Quest” from Chance Rides is equipped with interactive, digital features (“Smart Play” technology”, enabling riders to discover a digital underwater world during the three minutes’ ride. Also, Zierer’s “Tentacle Twirl” wave swinger and its “Sea Dragon Drop” family tower ride promise a lot of fun for families as well as Zamperla’s “Aqua Scout” jump-around attraction and its “OctaRocl” happy swing. In addition to this, visitors to SeaWorld San Diego can now observe giant octopuses, spider crabs and moray eels. (eap)