The Webmaster'

The Webmaster's Personal Collection of Sea World® Photographs
With a whole 'nother page of just whales
San Diego, California, U.S.A. < THIS WAY OUT
Yes, Many Glorious Pictures Below these Words

Click here for The Official Shamu Website and to discover new attractions
Click here for the Official Sea World® Website and to discover new attractions
Click here for a San Diego Map courtesy of:

Click on the little pictures.

CLICK: JUST SHOW ME WHALES!

<-- Sea World has an extraordinary, indoor, refrigerated climate zone for penguins. For them it is freezing cold and they love it. All kinds of penguins are represented, here be fat and sassy Emperor Penguins.

You will also find a highly realistic theme park with lots to see and do; which I will show as soon as I find the rest of the photographs. -->

"Sea World" is a registered trademark of Sea World, Inc. which in turn is owned by Busch Entertainment Corporation. Very likely the name "Shamu" is also registered but I couldn't find out for sure from their web pages.

You are hereby granted permission to use, store, print, reproduce these photographs for your personal or nonprofit organization use, or for non-profit-producing use within a commercial entity (internal newsletters, for instance). Use caution if the photograph you intend to use happens to contain recognizeable registered trademarks and if such use "dilutes" the trademark or otherwise causes confusion, or is believed by the trademark owner to cause confusion to its customers.

Photographed by Michael Gordon, October 1993. Obviously, things will have been added, maybe removed since then, so if you plan to visit Sea World, be sure to check out their official website. They don't give away much in the way of pictures (except for the archive of daily Shamu photographs, which might include YOU if you've been there in the past 30 days!), but you'll learn what there is to see and do.

P.S. There's a LOT going on at Sea World besides the dolphins and whales. Penguins, seals, manta rays -- yes, I touched a live manta ray and it had a texture exquisitely soft and smooth, yet supple and strong at the same time (not slimy which I had supposed) -- and more and more. I'm not sure where all my pictures are, and I STILL did not see everything despite I was there an entire day!

Short Essay: Preserve the Show

I like Sea World® and its star attraction, Shamu. From the first time I saw that huge, muscular, sleek menace come shooting out of the pool one moment, yet gentle enough to touch, or be touched by, his human partner, I have admired the intelligence, grace, and power of Orca, the Killer Whale. I was so enthralled I could hardly breathe at times, marveling that such a thing could even exist, much less cooperate and be affectionate with human beings. I sincerely hope that for as long as humans exist, so too will dolphins and whales, and to that end, I firmly believe the show must go on.

I remember "Namu", caught and displayed in Seattle for a time (1960's I think). It created a spectacle, got its dorsal fin sunburned and eventually died, I think. It was very sad for many people; I was a child at the time. Since then, whale keepers have learned a lot about whales, and it would seem that whales have learned a lot about whale keepers. Now they seem to get along quite well and I dare say I observed genuine affection, not only for the whale by its human companions, but the other way as well. Shamu, whichever incarnation is currently being shown, undoubtedly enjoys playing with humans and does it endlessly.

Some folks do not want whales displayed at all. Their reasons are sometimes honorable, sometimes selfish. Let us reason together. The protection of wildlife requires that millions of world citizens be permitted to see and have a hope of touching dolphins and whales, or eagles or whatever other species is to be protected. Have you seen dolphins? Probably, and having seen them, maybe even touched one or gone swimming with dolphins, are you careful in the grocery store to buy only "Dolphin Safe" tuna? I am.

But suppose that the only people who would ever see a dolphin were fishermen catching tuna, or the wealthy few with seaside property frequented by dolphins or whales, or you charted a boat. That leaves out most of us. Very likely you'd start to have feelings of spite regarding the dolphins as being playthings of the rich, and you would not mind it at all if they became extinct.

Therefore it is essential that ordinary citizens, as many as possible, have opportunity to admire dolphins, whales, birds of prey, all creatures great and small. The San Diego Zoo and Sea World accomplish this task exceptionally well.

Page created October 1999. Comments to Michael Gordon

Click on the little pictures.
CLICK: JUST SHOW ME WHALES!
		<-- Sea World has an extraordinary, indoor, refrigerated climate zone for penguins. For them it is freezing cold and they love it. All kinds of penguins are represented, here be fat and sassy Emperor Penguins.
You will also find a highly realistic theme park with lots to see and do; which I will show as soon as I find the rest of the photographs. -->
"Sea World" is a registered trademark of Sea World, Inc. which in turn is owned by Busch Entertainment Corporation. Very likely the name "Shamu" is also registered but I couldn't find out for sure from their web pages. You are hereby granted permission to use, store, print, reproduce these photographs for your personal or nonprofit organization use, or for non-profit-producing use within a commercial entity (internal newsletters, for instance). Use caution if the photograph you intend to use happens to contain recognizeable registered trademarks and if such use "dilutes" the trademark or otherwise causes confusion, or is believed by the trademark owner to cause confusion to its customers.
Photographed by Michael Gordon, October 1993. Obviously, things will have been added, maybe removed since then, so if you plan to visit Sea World, be sure to check out their official website. They don't give away much in the way of pictures (except for the archive of daily Shamu photographs, which might include YOU if you've been there in the past 30 days!), but you'll learn what there is to see and do. P.S. There's a LOT going on at Sea World besides the dolphins and whales. Penguins, seals, manta rays -- yes, I touched a live manta ray and it had a texture exquisitely soft and smooth, yet supple and strong at the same time (not slimy which I had supposed) -- and more and more. I'm not sure where all my pictures are, and I STILL did not see everything despite I was there an entire day!
Short Essay: Preserve the Show I like Sea World® and its star attraction, Shamu. From the first time I saw that huge, muscular, sleek menace come shooting out of the pool one moment, yet gentle enough to touch, or be touched by, his human partner, I have admired the intelligence, grace, and power of Orca, the Killer Whale. I was so enthralled I could hardly breathe at times, marveling that such a thing could even exist, much less cooperate and be affectionate with human beings. I sincerely hope that for as long as humans exist, so too will dolphins and whales, and to that end, I firmly believe the show must go on. I remember "Namu", caught and displayed in Seattle for a time (1960's I think). It created a spectacle, got its dorsal fin sunburned and eventually died, I think. It was very sad for many people; I was a child at the time. Since then, whale keepers have learned a lot about whales, and it would seem that whales have learned a lot about whale keepers. Now they seem to get along quite well and I dare say I observed genuine affection, not only for the whale by its human companions, but the other way as well. Shamu, whichever incarnation is currently being shown, undoubtedly enjoys playing with humans and does it endlessly. Some folks do not want whales displayed at all. Their reasons are sometimes honorable, sometimes selfish. Let us reason together. The protection of wildlife requires that millions of world citizens be permitted to see and have a hope of touching dolphins and whales, or eagles or whatever other species is to be protected. Have you seen dolphins? Probably, and having seen them, maybe even touched one or gone swimming with dolphins, are you careful in the grocery store to buy only "Dolphin Safe" tuna? I am. But suppose that the only people who would ever see a dolphin were fishermen catching tuna, or the wealthy few with seaside property frequented by dolphins or whales, or you charted a boat. That leaves out most of us. Very likely you'd start to have feelings of spite regarding the dolphins as being playthings of the rich, and you would not mind it at all if they became extinct. Therefore it is essential that ordinary citizens, as many as possible, have opportunity to admire dolphins, whales, birds of prey, all creatures great and small. The San Diego Zoo and Sea World accomplish this task exceptionally well.