As I ease back on into reality, I've been reflecting on my wonderful two weeks in Florida, and I thought that over the next couple of days it'd be fun to share some of the highlights of my vacation, here on the blog!
Before heading over to Disney World, Alyssa and I decided to spend a day visiting Sea World! It ended up being a very rainy day, but we got really lucky, and still got to see all of the shows. The rain even stopped long enough for us to hop on a roller coaster ride! I've mentioned in previous posts how much I love marine animals, so being able to see so many of these beautiful creatures up close, was very exciting for me!
Our first stop of the day was Shamu Stadium, to see One Ocean, a show featuring the killer whales. This was a beautiful performance, with a really excellent message about the importance of protecting the world's oceans, and the environment. The whales were so beautiful and graceful, and it was so cool to see how they interact with their trainers! It was very evident that each whale had a strong bond with their trainer, and it was so cute how they followed them around so playfully!
Our next stop was the Dolphin show, which featured, you guessed it, dolphins, as well as beluga whales, and some different types of birds. This was really neat because the trainers actually went into the water to interact with the animals. It reminded me of a trip that my family took to the Bahamas, for my Sweet 16, where we swam with dolphins. It's something that I've always wanted to do again. On a future trip to Florida, I might have to visit Sea World's neighboring park, Discovery Cove, and play with the dolphins! Dolphins are very social animals, and they love interracting with humans. I thought it was absolutely fascinating how much they clearly enjoyed the applause from the audience!
We also checked out the sea lion show, featuring two sea lions, Clyde and Seymor, on a mission to grauduate from "sea lion high." This show was really interesting, because in addition to having a humorous storyline, the trainers shared some of the techniques that they use to train the sea lions. Each sea lion has such a unique personality, and they each have different positive reinforcements that are used as rewards, when they complete a task. Alyssa and I were joking that we should try some of the techniques that the trainers shared with our younger pup, Sophie. Sophie is a wonderful little girl, but she tends to have a mind of her own, when it comes to being "trained."
Our last stop of the day was the Penguin exhibit, which was so much fun! This is definitely a popular spot in Sea World, and we had to wait about 40 minutes to get inside. Once we did, it was so much fun...And SO COLD! Because penguins live in a cold, arctic environment, their home at Sea World is kept very, very cold to accomodate them. So we went from the Florida heat, in shorts and tank tops, into the Penguin exhibit, which I think someone said is about 32 degrees...Yikes! But it was so worth braving the frigid temperature to see these cute little guys! I loved seeing them waddle around the iceburgs, and swim through the icy water. Fun fact; Penguins swim super fast! They also playfully leap out of the water mid swim, which can take some human visitors, like myself, by surprise!
All of the marine animals that we saw at Sea World were so cute, and it was really amazing to see how they intereact with their human trainers. I really loved seeing the bond that exists between each animal and their trainer. Many of the animals that you see at Sea World have been rescued from various injuries in the ocean, and were unable to rehabilitate to a point where it would be safe for them to return to the ocean. These animals are given a home at Sea World, where humans give them food, fun, and love. The bond that can exist between humans and animals, is a beautiful thing. As humans, it is so important for us to do our part in protecting the environment, and keep it clean for these amazing animals!
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