Giant sea creatures and water parks are two things that both fascinate and terrify many, even adults. Combining those two in creating SeaWorld boggles many others, and by judging some of the events that have happened there, not everyone is ready to shell out cash for a ticket.
To begin this list of SeaWorld incidents:
A Man Drowned In The Orca Tank In Orlando
On July 6, 1999, the body of 27-year-old homeless man named Daniel Dukes was found in an orca tank, all over the back of a whale named Tilikum.
Dukes entered the previous day, evading security to stay after the park closed. That’s when he entered the tank.
Authorities say it’s unclear what possessed Dukes to get into the tank with the massive creature.
Tilikum Drowned Trainer Dawn Brancheau
Dawn Brancheau was a 40-year-old trainer with 16 years of experience who passed away in an incident involving killer whale Tilikum.
SeaWorld’s head of animal training that it happened after a show. Tilikum could have pulled Brancheau into the water and she had no way of fighting her way back up.
Tilikum lived at the park since the early 1990s, being one of eight killer whales in captivity at the time of the incident.
A Killer Whale Beached Herself At A SeaWorld-Owned Property
An orca named Morgan at SeaWorld-owned Loro Parque in Spain beached herself on the concrete side of the pool. She was fully out the water, motionless for nine full minutes after a show.
This was her behavior a few weeks after she was found banging her head into a metal grate in her cage. The park said that “voluntary stranding is a natural behavior in wild orcas.”
National Geographic disputed this comment. They said that Morgan was trying to get away from other whales which she was not socially compatible with.
Orca Accosted Inexperienced Trainer Jonathan Smith
Back in 1987, two orcas grabbed Jonathan Smith, a trainer with little experience working with the animals. The whales dragged him across the pool and even though he survived the attack, Smith suffered extensive harm.
Smith naturally filed suit against SeaWorld, saying that they had not warned him about the “dangerous propensities of killer whales”.
The company apparently assured Smith that his lack of experience would not pose any risk.
John Sillick Was Severely Harmed During A Show
Trainer John Sillick fractured his vertebrae, femur, and pelvis in 1987. One of the orcas fell on him while he was riding atop another whale during a performance.
It was this incident that quickly prompted new safety protocols for trainers during live performances.
A Mechanical Boat Malfunction Hurt Several People
At SeaWorld Ohio, (later sold and became Geauga Lake), a driver lost control of his boat during a Baywatch-themed water-ski stunt.
The boat allegedly suffered a mechanical failure, causing it to crash into the fifth row of the stadium, resulting in injured spectators.
A Lightning Strike Sent Eight People To The Hospital
On August 16, 2011, lightning struck inside Discovery Cove Florida injuring three guests and five employees. They were transported to a local hospital for medical attention and were thankfully released the following day.
A Tourist Was Found Unresponsive On A Water Ride
A 68-year-old tourist from Manchester, England, was found unresponsive on Roa’s Rapids at SeaWorld’s Aquatica water park in October of 2010. He was taken to the hospital, but unfortunately was not revived.
Preliminary findings by investigators stated that the man passed from natural causes.
A Man Was Felled By A Cut From Coral
A 59-year-old man from Manchester, England, passed away in 2009 after cutting his toe on coral at SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove in Orlando. The victim was swimming with fish.
Her was a hemophiliac, and was diagnosed with septic shock and organ failure.
A SeaWorld San Antonio Employee Was Electrocuted
Ricardo Corpus was a SeaWorld San Antonio employee. He passed away in 2012 when was testing the amperage load of an HVAC in an employee-only area.
An Orca Closed Its Mouth Around His Trainer’s Head
In the 1970s, trainer Bob Shephard found himself inside an orca when it closed its mouth around his head. The flash from a camera momentarily stunned the whale, causing the animal to clamp its mouth shut.
The whale quickly re-opened his mouth with Shepard suffering just a minor wound.
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