{"id":122171,"date":"2025-08-05T23:52:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T23:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/122171\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T23:52:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T23:52:12","slug":"seaworlds-new-orca-encounter-is-love-letter-to-whales-guests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/122171\/","title":{"rendered":"SeaWorld\u2019s new Orca Encounter is \u2018love letter\u2019 to whales, guests"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Blake Foster, a senior zoological specialist at SeaWorld San Diego. Courtesy photo<\/p>\n

Building on 60 years of marine animal rescue and education, SeaWorld San Diego recently unveiled its \u201cnext generation\u201d Orca Encounter \u2014 an immersive experience designed to deepen public understanding of the park\u2019s longtime and beloved ambassadors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

SeaWorld said the new program is a part of its \u201congoing commitment to exceptional guest experiences and world-class animal care\u201d and offers a more personal, inspiring and educational look at orcas, their natural behaviors and the strong human-animal bonds that define their care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis next generation of Orca Encounter truly is a love letter to the whales, our guests and SeaWorld San Diego,\u201d Blake Foster, a senior zoological specialist, said. \u201cHaving the opportunity to work alongside so many talented people who invest so much of their heart into this park was so special, and it\u2019s something I\u2019m incredibly grateful for.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Foster, who has been with SeaWorld for five years, said the program incorporates elements from past presentations to create one that is more \u201cengaging, inspiring and informative.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur new Orca Encounter highlights the natural behaviors, intelligence and social dynamics of the whales in a way that connects guests emotionally while fostering a deeper appreciation for the whales and their wild counterparts,\u201d Foster said. \u201cOrca Encounter highlights the relationship between trainers and whales, built through trust and positive reinforcement and gives guests an inside look at how we care for them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aside from learning about the general characteristics of the orcas, guests will also have the opportunity to get to know each personality of the whales, Foster said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNo two orcas are alike, and this presentation gives them a chance to show their individuality,\u201d Foster said. \u201cHaving guests see the whales as individuals is so important for caring about these incredible animals \u2014 whether it\u2019s witnessing a high energy exercise behavior like a breach or a playful interaction between a whale and guest \u2014 those are the moments that create real connections.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Orca Encounter at SeaWorld San Diego. Courtesy photo<\/p>\n

The presentation also highlights the behind-the-scenes contributions of the park\u2019s dedicated veterinary team and its orcas to critical marine science. These animals play a central role in groundbreaking research aimed at protecting endangered wild populations, including the Southern Resident killer whales of the Pacific Northwest. They have supported studies on heart rate, metabolism, hearing\u00a0 and body condition via drone imagery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur animal care team is devoted to these animals, often spending more time with the orcas than they do with their own families,\u201d said Eric Otjen, vice president of zoological operations at SeaWorld San Diego. \u201cThis presentation is a tribute to those bonds and to the potential we have to inspire change through connection and education.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foster knows all about the connection that is possible through SeaWorld too. In fact, he said he still remembers seeing orcas for the first time as a 4-year-old.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope guests walk away with a sense of wonder and a deeper respect for orcas, our oceans, and all the creatures that call it home,\u201d Foster said. \u201cI truly believe that we can inspire people to make a positive difference for our oceans.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information about Orca Encounter or SeaWorld San Diego, go to SeaWorldSanDiego.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Blake Foster, a senior zoological specialist at SeaWorld San Diego. Courtesy photo Building on 60 years of marine…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":122172,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,1582,276,25378,75711,3549,7264,23848,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-122171","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-killer-whales","12":"tag-orca-encounter","13":"tag-san-diego","14":"tag-sandiego","15":"tag-seaworld-san-diego","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-united-states-of-america","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114978851816079965","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}