The year is 2025, CEO Mark Swanson calls a meeting of the board of directors of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment at their corporate offices in Orlando, Florida.
Twelve years prior, the documentary Blackfish was released to the public by CNN and Magnolia Pictures and led to endless struggles for the theme park company.
The documentary, which focused on the orca “Tilikum” and his connection to the deaths of three people, including trainer Dawn Brancheau, was considered to be an “inflammatory hit piece” that while largely debunked by SeaWorld and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) yet in the eyes of the public it did irreparable damage to the image of SeaWorld.
For years after the release of Blackfish, SeaWorld and its supporters attempted to fight back against an endless onslaught of opponents led by animal rights organizations such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) yet their image remained tarnished. Too many people began thinking critically about the animal care standards and welfare of large intelligent cetaceans such as dolphins and orcas determined changes needed to be made.
With recent years leading to various opponents of cetacean captivity such as in Vancouver Canada where the Vancouver Aquarium was made to transport their beluga pod out of the city due to new legislation and the vetoing and cancellation of SeaWorld’s own Blue World Project at their San Diego park, the 2020s seemed to be the beginning of the end of cetacean captivity. SeaWorld, as leaders in the industry of marine wildlife husbandry, determined that their park model that began in 1973 would no longer suffice should the company last into the next decade. Thus, this important meeting was called.
In ten years, how will SeaWorld continue to exist as is? This was the pressing question at this meeting and while ideas were thrown out such as removing the animals and making the park exclusively coasters or getting rid of orcas to appease the masses, one idea came up and seemed to be the right call. Thus, in January of 2026, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment announced the closure of all three active SeaWorld parks in the USA including SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld San Diego, and SeaWorld San Antonio. This news came as a shock to animal fans and theme park fans, yet the announcement that came next would solidify the future of SeaWorld.
The three existing parks (not including the Dubai park) would close in succession leading up to 2034 starting with San Antonio, then San Diego, and finally Orlando. The animals would be moved to the other parks or to other facilities that could hold them including other aquariums across the country. All except the orca pod which would all be moved to the Orlando location to be held until the next phase of the parks’ future.
What is the future of these parks? Well, that announcement was shared shortly after the closure announcements with the three SeaWorld parks giving way to two brand new parks on US soil, or rather, US soil AND sea. SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment acquired land and ocean sites in both Florida’s Gulf Coast and Washington’s Pacific coast, creating the two new parks: SeaWorld Gulf Coast and SeaWorld Pacific Northwest. The first of these parks (SeaWorld PNW) would open in 2035 followed by SeaWorld Gulf Coast a few years later.
How are these two parks different than the three parks so many grew up with? Well, that’s what this thread is all about. Stay tuned as we discuss everything at both SeaWorld Pacific Northwest and SeaWorld Gulf Coast coming soon.
Twelve years prior, the documentary Blackfish was released to the public by CNN and Magnolia Pictures and led to endless struggles for the theme park company.
The documentary, which focused on the orca “Tilikum” and his connection to the deaths of three people, including trainer Dawn Brancheau, was considered to be an “inflammatory hit piece” that while largely debunked by SeaWorld and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) yet in the eyes of the public it did irreparable damage to the image of SeaWorld.
For years after the release of Blackfish, SeaWorld and its supporters attempted to fight back against an endless onslaught of opponents led by animal rights organizations such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) yet their image remained tarnished. Too many people began thinking critically about the animal care standards and welfare of large intelligent cetaceans such as dolphins and orcas determined changes needed to be made.
With recent years leading to various opponents of cetacean captivity such as in Vancouver Canada where the Vancouver Aquarium was made to transport their beluga pod out of the city due to new legislation and the vetoing and cancellation of SeaWorld’s own Blue World Project at their San Diego park, the 2020s seemed to be the beginning of the end of cetacean captivity. SeaWorld, as leaders in the industry of marine wildlife husbandry, determined that their park model that began in 1973 would no longer suffice should the company last into the next decade. Thus, this important meeting was called.
In ten years, how will SeaWorld continue to exist as is? This was the pressing question at this meeting and while ideas were thrown out such as removing the animals and making the park exclusively coasters or getting rid of orcas to appease the masses, one idea came up and seemed to be the right call. Thus, in January of 2026, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment announced the closure of all three active SeaWorld parks in the USA including SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld San Diego, and SeaWorld San Antonio. This news came as a shock to animal fans and theme park fans, yet the announcement that came next would solidify the future of SeaWorld.
The three existing parks (not including the Dubai park) would close in succession leading up to 2034 starting with San Antonio, then San Diego, and finally Orlando. The animals would be moved to the other parks or to other facilities that could hold them including other aquariums across the country. All except the orca pod which would all be moved to the Orlando location to be held until the next phase of the parks’ future.
What is the future of these parks? Well, that announcement was shared shortly after the closure announcements with the three SeaWorld parks giving way to two brand new parks on US soil, or rather, US soil AND sea. SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment acquired land and ocean sites in both Florida’s Gulf Coast and Washington’s Pacific coast, creating the two new parks: SeaWorld Gulf Coast and SeaWorld Pacific Northwest. The first of these parks (SeaWorld PNW) would open in 2035 followed by SeaWorld Gulf Coast a few years later.
How are these two parks different than the three parks so many grew up with? Well, that’s what this thread is all about. Stay tuned as we discuss everything at both SeaWorld Pacific Northwest and SeaWorld Gulf Coast coming soon.
