Orcas, sharks, and dolphins

I love Sea World. I'm not sure exactly why I enjoy it so much, but it is so much fun! Maybe because the "actors" are all animals, not paid actors, the shows are cheesy, but funny, the exhibits are entertaining and educational, and the weather has been phenomenal every time I've been. When I was growing up, I wanted to be a Sea World trainer. I have no idea how one goes about training a 5 ton Killer Whale . . . probably not by surfing with it . . .


As you could imagine, that's not me (although I did have a dream last night that I was about to go surfing at this ridiculously scary spot (think the "graveyard" spot from Surf's Up) when a giant orca launched itself onto the shore as they sometimes to do catch seals, like this: (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/17/2219576.htm)But the orca's mouth was wide open . . . It was one crazy dream . . . ). I think I would be out of the water in a heart beat if I were ever in the water with a killer whale.

Side note: Earlier in the week, I surfed Mission Beach - no one else in the water, just me. The weather was a little rough, the water was kind of murky, the skies were dark, and when I looked to the horizon for the next waves, a pair of fins were heading straight at me! A little spooked, I then realized there were no tail fins sticking out of the water and dolphins usually travel in pods. Sharks have vertical tails and dolphins have horizontal tails, and sharks usually hunt alone. So, even though I know the difference between sharks and dolphins and I have been in the ocean with dolphins a hundred times (and sharks only once that I know of), I still get spooked by the deer of the ocean.

Anyways, our Sea World trip was awesome. We loved the Semore and Clyde shows, the Shamu show, the rides, and all the exhibits. We enjoyed the fine dining of Shipwreck Reef Cafe (much better than Disneyland food), even with all of the aggressive, evil looking sea gulls. We came home with some souvenirs, sunburns, and great memories.