SeaWorld announced this morning that they are about to undertake a massive project to upgrade their Orca habitats in all of their US parks. It was rumored that a big announcement was coming, but this is something else all together.
The project, which their calling the "Blue World Project, will feature the complete redesign of the killer whale habitats. Starting with their San Diego park, construction will begin in 2015.
These new habitats will effectively double the size of the current ones in use. The expansion means they will hold nearly 10million gallons of water, go to a depth of 50ft from the current 36ft and even include the long discussed "water treadmill" system to allow for a more natural ocean current. The surface area will be almost 1.5 acres and with a length of over 350ft, that's bigger than a football field here folks. In addition to the expansion, which is said to cost in the hundreds of millions range, SeaWorld is also pouring an additional $10 million into research.
“Through up-close and personal encounters, the new environment will transform how visitors experience killer whales,” said Atchison. “Our guests will be able to walk alongside the whales as if they were at the shore, watch them interact at the depths found in the ocean, or a birds-eye view from above.”
Curios where it's going? Well the image to the left shows off the area that the expansion will take up and it looks like quite a few changes will be coming due to it as well.
From the looks of the concept art, viewing areas and other spaces for guests and trainers to interact with the Orcas will be greatly improved as well. Some areas are said to be 40ft tall and promise to give guests a glimpse into the habitat like never before.
