SeaWorld’s Ultimate Shark Experience is a deep dive with VIPs, Very Important Predators

While theme park guests have caught a wave on Pipeline, the new surf coaster, it is time to dive under the water for a new interactive event. During the Ultimate Shark Experience, the SeaWorld special event will offer guests an immersive, multifaceted day long journey to get to know a group of VIPs, Very Important Predators.

Although some people might shudder at the first notes of the Jaws theme or wonder if that ripple under the water is something sinister, sharks are a vital part of the ecosystem. Sometimes mis-understood, giving people the opportunity to see, feed, touch and learn about these creatures could help to break the stigma.

For one week only, SeaWorld is offering the Ultimate Shark Experience. The full day event includes unique, immersive experiences that might change how people look at and react to these animals. From a special behind the scenes guided tour to dining with these animals, guests might learn to appreciate those fins from a different angle.

As Marisa Thalberg, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment said, SeaWorld is the only place in the world where you can touch a shark, move like a shark, feed a shark, dine like a shark, learn from the sharks and importantly, help our ocean’s sharks at the same time. Sharks are actually our ocean’s VIP – Very Important Predators – for a reason – and we would love to share this curated, immersive experience with guests young and old who want to celebrate shark week in this really unique way.”

The special event will run from July 21 through July 28 at SeaWorld Orlando, San Antonio, and San Diego. Experiences can vary based on each theme park. $25 of every purchased ticket will be given to shark conservation.

Could the Ultimate Shark Experience change people’s perspective on SeaWorld?

When a person decides to visit a particular theme park, stepping through the turnstile is not necessarily just a whim. Whether it is visiting a particular magical land filled with pixie dust or preferring extreme thrills that get the heart pumping, the experience is targeted to satisfy a particular audience. The person who wants to sip on a magical concoction is not the same person who prefers some classic country cooking.

For SeaWorld, the theme park entertainment group balanced a fine line of offering thrills while giving a glimpse of the wonder that can be under the sea. Although there can be differing opinion on the educational aspect of the organization’s programs, giving guests an opportunity to better understand the world around them can be just as thrilling has plunging down a steep drop.

Given that theme park guests want to be engaged at every turn, the new Ultimate Shark Experience is a smart way to blend both the above and below the water thrills. From skipping the line at the must ride roller coaster to actually feeding a shark lunch, those types of unique offerings have people sharing the moment again and again. Even if the day is just a moment in time, it is the memory and tale that lives on for a while.

As SeaWorld looks to engage its guests, this type of VIP service could expand. From behind the scenes tours to seasonal inspired offerings, the possibilities are many. Why couldn’t there be a nocturnal animal encounter coupled with Howl-O-Scream or a national penguin day waddle through the park?

For now, it is time to celebrate shark week and put those fins up. The water looks inviting, doesn’t it?