Dolphin Cove (SeaWorld)

Dolphin Cove (also called Dolphin Point at SeaWorld San Diego) is a SeaWorld attraction, which can be found at SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Diego. The habitat holds about 700,000 US gallons (2,650,000 L) of water and is one of the largest dolphin pools in existence.

Dolphin Cove
The underwater viewing area with bottlenose dolphins at SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld San Diego
StatusOperating
Opening date1964
SeaWorld Orlando
StatusOperating
Opening date1973
SeaWorld San Antonio
StatusRemoved
Opening date1988
Closing date2015
Replaced byDiscovery Point
SeaWorld Ohio
StatusRemoved
Opening date1970
Closing dateJanuary 2001 (2001-01)
Ride statistics
Attraction typeDolphin exhibit
DesignerSeaWorld

History

When founded in 1964, SeaWorld San Diego was the first of its kind to feature a Dolphin Cove. In 1970, the second park SeaWorld Ohio was built in Aurora, Ohio and it featured a Dolphin Cove but in January 2001, SeaWorld Ohio was sold to Six Flags resulting in the exhibit's closure.[1]

In 1973, the third Dolphin Cove opened together with SeaWorld Orlando.[2] In 1988, the fourth Dolphin Cove in SeaWorld San Antonio opened its doors.[3]

On March 6, 2015, SeaWorld San Antonio announced that the park would have a new dolphin habitat and hub for three of its animal interaction programs with dolphins, beluga whales and California sea lions called Discovery Point. The announcement of the project was followed by Dolphin Cove's closure on March 23, 2015.[4] Discovery Point officially opened to the public on May 21, 2016. The project doubled the size of the previous dolphin pool and added an underwater viewing area.

Exhibit
A bottlenose dolphin surfacing in the pool

The habitat is designed to reflect a natural ecosystem and has an underwater viewing area where visitors can watch the dolphins while listening to relaxing music and hear the dolphin's communications. It features 2-foot-high (0.61 m) waves, a sandy beach and an imitation coral reef.

Dolphin Cove mainly consists of bottlenose dolphins, one of the most common of their family. The dolphins are shifted between the exhibit, Dolphin Nursery and Discovery Cove; depending on pregnancies and space availability.

Throughout the day, visitors can feed the dolphins for a fee.[5] Trainers give informational speeches about the bottlenose dolphin.[6] .

Criticism

Organizations such as World Animal Protection and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society are against the captivity of dolphins and orcas. Bottlenose dolphins might not have a shorter life span in captivity (like orcas)[7] but cannot make much use of echolocation due to sensory deprivation. Small pools and the chlorination of the water are living conditions marked for criticism.

References
  1. seaworld.com
  2. DK Travel : Orlando : SeaWorld Orlando
  3. SeaWorld San Antonio Archived January 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "SeaWorld San Antonio to close portion of park for construction of new dolphin attraction". My San Antonio. March 19, 2015.
  5. Seaworld: What to Do
  6. Bottlenose Dolphins
  7. J.D. van der Toorn (1999), Survival rate study of marine mammals in captivity Archived June 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, retrieved November 1, 2006.
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