SeaWorld San Diego has announced the upcoming opening of a new kid-friendly play area, Rescue Jr. Opening soon, children will become the heroes of the park and learn about animal rescue and rehabilitation through hands-on, active, and engaging experiences. Kids can enjoy exciting play elements, a splash pad, water features, climbing structures and rides. Real rescue vehicles, an obstacle course, puzzles, fun animal facts, and tips on how to help conservation every day add to the fun. Aspiring conservationists can also see rescued animals up close, hearing their amazing stories of survival and learning more about how to get involved in helping protect marine animals everywhere.
SeaWorld is one of the largest marine animal rescue organizations in the world and has come to the aid of over 40,000 injured and orphaned animals.
“This first of its kind play area is another exciting addition to our amazing educational theme park and puts marine animal rescue at the forefront with our guests. Rescue Jr. is a fun and exciting way for our younger guests to learn about the animal rescue that our dedicated teams do every day, 365 days a year,” said park president, Jim Lake, SeaWorld San Diego. “No matter how young, my hope is that all guests come away with a better understanding of how important it is to be a part of protecting the animals around us and maybe we can be the spark that ignites a passion in kids to become animal rescuers, scientists, veterinarians or conservationists.”
Guests will have non-stop fun and adventure with interactive play elements, fun water features, climbing structures, and engaging rides that will take them on a rescue quest.
- At the Rescue Bay Splash Zone is Rescue 1, a large boat docked and ready to bring a world of watery fun with it. Surrounding this impressive ship will be a shallow-water rescue training ground and splash pad area. Rescue trainees can test themselves as they navigate through an aquatic agility coursemade up of colorful geometric sculptures and “buoy-like” interactives that spray and splash. Playful fountains will be scattered throughout the area to mimic the occasional wake that is created in a busy harbor.
- Young adventurers can test their mental and physical ability with the Rescue Training Obstacle Course, a new dry play area with three play offerings. The Nautical Net Climb offers a twisting, extensive network of nets that elevate into the sky leading to one of three training towers that are connected to each other with swaying net bridges and suspended tunnels. The Breakwater Bounce is a large, enclosed area with an inflated air bag floor for jumping, tumbling and all matter of exhilarating moves for young rescuers-in-training. At the Tadpole Play, a large open soft play area allows for curious exploration for our littlest guests.
- Young minds and imaginations will soar at the Rescue Jr. Play Yard, an interactive area with four areas of role playing. Through activities that encourage and build upon communication, movement and discovery, children can go through the process from receiving the rescue call to returning the animals to their natural habitats. The Play Yard will include talk tubes to receive the rescue calls, a mini obstacle course made of smaller crawl and climb elements to simulate the challenges of conducting a rescue, and playground puzzles and mazes matching sea life and their habitats to symbolize the animal returns.
- Young guests can play pretend and get prepared to be part of the Rescue Team in the Mini Rescuer Training Zone. This soft play area is full of ocean themed play structures where children can sit and play on a Rescue boat and plane, climb on a sandcastle, ocean rocks and a pier, plus have adventures with dolphins and sea lions.
- The Rescue Garage allows guests to get up close and personal with former rescue vehicles like a pickup truck and a dinghy boat that were formerly used in real life rescues. Integrated among these exciting artifacts are educational graphics and details about the types of missions these vehicles have been used for.
Three new family rides
- Guests can board Rescue Rafter, a fully equipped Rescue boat and ride the waves just like the dedicated teams at SeaWorld Rescue! These heroes are prepared for all seaworthy situations and young visitors will be too after experiencing the gentle swaying and surprising spins that the ocean can bring to their missions.
- Rescue Riders offers the option to ride a colorful Rescue Jr. jet ski and whirl through the air on to a big rescue mission! The heroes of SeaWorld Rescue use a variety of water vehicles during their rescue missions and guests can experience the jet ski operation in this unique aerial experience.
- Another family-friendly ride is Tidepool Twist, which offers a twisting, turning journey around a colorful tide pool that will have guests going around and around with the tide. Prior to enjoying the ride, guests can learn more through informational graphics about the differences between types of sea life found in tide pools.
See rescued animal ambassadors and hear their stories
On the Rescue Jr. Stage, guests can meet Animal Conservation Ambassadors and learn about a variety of unique rescued animals during daily presentations. This fun and educational presentation shares the story of conservation ambassadors, animal care, and rescue. Guests will have hands-on experience with many incredible rescued animals, such as marsupials, primates, and reptiles, and learn about their unique stories.
Meet the heroes of the SeaWorld San Diego rescue team
The SeaWorld San Diego Rescue Team is on call every day of the year to help pinnipeds, sea turtles, and sea and shore birds in the water and on land and now guests can meet the Rescue Team members in person and hear true rescue stories that happen every day in San Diego.
The Rescue Team members will make appearances and share the full cycle of animal rescue from the call on the rescue hotline through the process of getting to a healthy state to the return to their natural habitats. Stories will range from the sea lion who roamed the freeway to Lefty the loggerhead turtle with a partial missing left flipper to so many more. Guests will walk away informed with valuable tips and information on how they can help our oceans and lands and prevent animals from being harmed and needing rescue.
In partnership with state, local & federal agencies, stranding networks, zoos & aquariums, and many others, SeaWorld Rescue teams are on call 24/7 to help ill, injured, or orphaned animals in need of expert care, always with the goal to return healthy animals back to the wild. Rescue Jr. will have educational information throughout the entire play area with details about the challenges that animals in the wild face that often require their rescue and simple steps that the public can take to limit these hazards for animals. Guests will learn the process the SeaWorld Rescue team goes through to perform a rescue and what they can do if they find an animal in need. The concept of rehabilitation will be taught in a kid-friendly way leaning in on familiar subjects in interactive play areas. The act of an animal return will be conveyed with various activities and puzzles that will demonstrate the return of an animal to their natural habitat.
A portion of proceeds from SeaWorld tickets and in park purchases goes toward funding rescue and rehabilitation.