SeaWorld California
& Aquatica California
San Diego, CA
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Ride Rehabs - The following dates are subject to change
Tidepool Twist - NOW CLOSED through TBD
Riptide Rescue - NOW CLOSED through TBD
Rescue Rafter - NOW CLOSED through TBD
Shipwreck Rapids - NOW CLOSED through TBD
Arctic Rescue - NOW CLOSED through TBD
Tentacle Twirl - NOW CLOSED through TBD
See Arctic Rescue (2023) in Action Here
Click Here to read our review of Howl-O-Scream 2023
Park News - (8/6/2025) SeaWorld San Diego announced that the long closed Bayside Aquarium will finally reopen this week on August 8th with a newly refreshed exhibit space tucked away below the park’s Bayside Amphitheater. Back in the old days this was known at the Marine Aquarium back when it first opened in 1965.
Featuring both fresh and saltwater species the new Bayside Aquarum will provide intimate encounter with some rare species such as the engaged axoloti, the camouflaged wobbegong shark, a California two-spot octopus, brown-banded bamboo sharks, coral cat sharks and reef fish.
2026 - New Shark Encounter - (8/19/2025) SeaWorld San Diego announced plans to launch an all new version of the park’s famous Shark Encounter attraction for Spring 2026. “As one of the park’s most iconic and awe-inspiring animal exhibits, the ALL-NEW experience will transport guests into a breathtaking aquatic environment—inviting them to explore the ocean like never before and discover the remarkable beauty and power of sharks. The current Shark Encounter has closed to begin work on this exciting renovation.”
“Sharks have long captured our cultural imagination, and this thrilling new exhibit invites guests to challenge conventional perceptions through a fully immersive 360-degree experience—from watching sharks glide overhead to feeding them. Guests will encounter mesmerizing new species of sharks, alongside a diverse array of marine animals and fish, expanding the current exhibit into a truly unforgettable journey beneath the waves. Through a captivating underwater journey featuring cutting-edge multimedia and revitalized habitats, adults and children alike will be immersed in an environment that elevates both the thrill and educational value of every visit and encourages them to return and discover something new about their favorite shark species.”
On a side note, the park has also launched sales of the 2026 Fun Cards that include not only unlimited visits for all of 2026, but you get the rest of 2025 as well. Visit the official website for more information and Fun Card pricing.
2027 - Flying Theater - Speculation - (3/20/2025) So what does the future have in store for SeaWorld San Diego? Chances are that the next major attraction to come to SeaWorld San Diego in 2026 or 2027 will be a copy of the Expedition Odyssey flying theater attraction opening this summer at SeaWorld Orlando. Just as in was for the original Wild Arctic simulator attraction, the plan will be to have guests ride the new Flying Theater and then exit and be able to walk through the Wild Arctic animal exhibit.
While in Orlando they are simply just transforming two of the former three simulator bays into new flying theater attractions, the Wild Arctic when it was originally built as Mission: Bermuda Triangle had four simulator bays, along with a pass-through hallway in-between bays 2 and 3, to allow guests who didn’t care to ride a way to still see the exhibit.
Now, you may be wondering how they will be able to do this with the Arctic Rescue coaster now in place, but that shouldn’t be a problem as the installation of Arctic Rescue only took over the left two simulator bays, leaving the right two bays (3 & 4) inactive and guests have been using the pass-through hallway to still access the Wild Arctic animal exhibit ever since they closed the simulators down.
With the right two bays still in place, my guess is that as long as guests enjoy the new Expedition Odyssey flying theater in Orlando, it wont be long before the budget is approved to move forward with a clone for San Diego. After all, the filming, editing and programing for the new attraction will already be complete, so all that needs to be done is to buy and install the new ride hardware from Mack Rides.
???? - The Next Roller Coaster - (10/5/2023) Screamscape is hearing that long term planning may have begun to add yet another roller coaster to SeaWorld San Diego. The early rumor is that they may have asked B&M to come up with a layout for a Wing Coaster. Given that the park has a sensitive relationship with the local governing agencies, especially when it comes to building anything with height, I would suspect that if SeaWorld San Diego were to build a B&M Wing Coaster, they would take inspiration from Thunderbirg at Holiday World, which uses a magnetic launch system rather than a lift hill.
Another great possibility, and one that would definitely tie into the California surf culture, would be for the San Diego park to build a copy (or near clone) of the Pipeline Surf Coaster that opened at the Orlando park earlier this year (see video below). This next-gen stand-up coaster is themed like a giant surf board and also uses a magnetic launch to keep the action fast and low when needed. The real surprise is the hidden piston built into every restraint unit that quite literally lifts the riders off their feet for a true Hang 10 moment of airtime at the peak of every hill that is guaranteed to make you squeal with glee.
Stay tuned!
New Attraction Footage -
2023 - Arctic Rescue - (7/3/2023) Screamscape was invited to send a local member of the crew down to give the new Arctic Rescue roller coaster at SeaWorld San Diego a spin. The video below shows off a POV of the coaster in action from the front row and from the back as it passes through three launch zones throughout the journey.
Howl-O-Scream 2023 Review -
(10/4/2023) Screamscape was invited to try out this year’s Howl-O-Scream event and I decided to send in my good friend Andy to check it out. For a little history, back in the day, growing up in San Diego, Andy and I would often frequent all the haunts we could find in town, which included several years of visits to the city’s once famous ‘Scream in the Dark’ haunt, the Haunted Museum and others from years past. They managed to shoot an awesome video for us that captures all the fun of Howl-O-Scream and sent back a quick review as well, so enjoy!
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SeaWorld opens its doors to sirens and slaughterhouses in 2023's Howl-O-Scream, featuring 5 haunted mazes, multiple vignette areas, spooktacular cocktails, roaming haunts, environmental effects, and dark rides. Contained in the southern section of the park, SeaWorld has concocted a trail of screams and haunts worthy of adults and children alike. Honestly, it takes a brave child to deal with what we had to endure. Some of this is NOT for the faint of heart. SeaWorld claims "nowhere is safe!" - and that is true as actors dressed as monsters can startle you at every turn. That is, unless you don a magic blinking medallion (available for
$15 within the park) to guarantee a spook-free experience.
For those brave souls who wish to venture further, the park provided Five (Count-em!) Five themed mazes of jump scares, curated scenes, animatronic ghouls, sparking chainsaws, and more. Within the various themed encounters careful attention to detail was taken, making sure you were looking in the wrong place so that the live ghouls could get the drop on you.
For the extremely observant- there are no less than TWO hidden speakeasies nestled within the haunts (don't forget the password: "Gauntlet"). Fiendish, yet delicious cocktails were available inside including frighteningly authentic "blood bags" filled with what we hope was a cocktail and not the real thing! Collectable, color-changing skull mugs were also purchasable.
Along the dark, smokey paths between mazes were a motley assortment of various monsters to keep you on your toes. Also speckled throughout your adventure are themed "Vignettes" like mini-musicals to enjoy while eating, drinking or planning your next move:
Dark Coasters! What's scarier than a 14-story vertical drop? The turn after- in pitch blackness! When you can't see it coming, it's even scarier. The park offered three coasters of various fear levels to satisfy guests, Emperor, Arctic Rescue, and Electric Eel. A great way to end your visit to the creepiest seaside spectacle you've ever seen this side of the pacific! We were truly taken to another world that hardly seemed like the park we visited a few months earlier.
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