Showing posts with label Dolphins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dolphins. Show all posts

Sea World - Dolphins Vewing Area


When I left the dolphin feeding area, I couldn't resist going underground for the underwater experience. There was a constant crowd pressing up against the glass, viewing the dolphins swimming from underwater. Photo flashes would pop and people were constantly pressing forward to get a better view. I chose to sit with my back against a fire extinguisher a bit removed from the throng and I tried to catch the ever changing scene. Some parents lost interest in the underwater view and turned to their phones for entertainment. One tourist walked up to me and asked me if he could take my picture. He said his sister-in-law was an artist and would get a kick out of the work I was doing. I am amazed that everywhere I go I meet someone who has a relative who is an artist.
After this sketch was done, I battled the crowds milling around the park for the first time. I became immediately exhausted with the start and stop nature of trying to move around the park. I approached a men's room, but the line was so long that I decided to wait. Lunch was out of the question. I didn't need food that bad. I wandered the park aimlessly searching for my next sketch.

Sea World - Dolphin Encounter


The Dolphin Encounter at Sea World is a very popular attraction. People pay $7 for some fish and are then guided in how to behave around the dolphins by trained parks people. The biggest concern is that people not let the paper tray the fish come in ever get close to the water. If the dolphins saw that tray, they would try and snatch it, potentially choking on the paper. Also Seagulls would flock overhead whenever the feeding started. They had a habit of dive bombing tourists in an attempt to get at the fish.
I stood across from the area where people could stand near the water for free. They would lean over with their hands in the water waiting diligently for the dolphins to come to them. The dolphins were not interested. They only went to the trainers who they knew had food.
I was standing next to a parks person whose job was to watch the tourists and make sure they didn't have any personal items hanging over the water's edge. If he saw a tourist with a sweatshirt hanging over or a water bottle he would contact someone on the opposite side via walkie-alkie and let them know what was up. "The tourist with the blue shirt on your right has a sweatshirt hanging over the ledge." Another parks person would rush through the crown to find the tourist with the sweatshirt and ask him to step back. Some Harley-Davidson bikers also hung out, hoping to touch a dolphin. I'm betting the dolphin's skin feels much like the worn leather jackets they were wearing.
After a few minutes of feeding the dolphins, the people who had paid would all be asked to leave to that another group of tourists could file in.