Sea World has been open since 1971 but this was only my second visit. I went with my wife and 16 year-old niece. It was a close contest as to who enjoyed the experience the most.
Sea World draws over one million visitors each year and has been rated Australia’s top attraction on four occasions. It combines the amazing underwater world with a range of rides and attractions that appeal to people of all ages. We planned to spend four hours at the park but ended up being there for close on seven.
We caught most of the shows – Dolphin Cove where four dolphins perform amazing feats of grace, speed and strength; The Quest for the Golden Seal where nature’s comedians (sea lions) help search for a lost explorer; and Ski Challenge where a ski show is taken to new extremes.
We watched the Reef Discovery undersea adventure and the 3D Pirates movie. We rode the monorail, the Viking’s Revenge Flume Ride, the Thrillseeker Rollercoaster, and the action and adventure Bermuda Triangle boat ride. Finally we visited Polar Bear Shores, a near-natural Arctic summer environment featuring wind, mist, fog, rain, creeks, waterfalls, and four wonderful polar bears. We missed the Corkscrew roller coaster which was not operating, the Cartoon Network Cartoon Beach, the train ride, the skyway, and the Water Park.
As expected Sea World has many food and drink outlets and shopping opportunities. We managed to avoid most of these but spent A$18 on food, A$7 on drinks and A$8 on souvenirs. It would have been easy to spend much more. There are helicopter flights, the chance to swim with the dolphins and other offers which could cost into the hundreds.
Interestingly, we each chose a different thing as our best experience. I thought Polar Bear Shore was great. My wife was impressed by Dolphin Cove and our niece chose the 3D movie.
We visited in the off-season when the weather was hot. Fortunately the crowds were not too large and we found shade at most venues. The longest we waited for a ride was around five minutes. In the peak season it would be much longer. At the end of the day we were quite tired but we all thought it had been an excellent day. I would certainly return.
Open: 10am-5pm daily