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What Goes On At Sea World At Night?
Sea World, one of nation's top destinations, is known for being one of the heaviest trafficked, family friendly places. But not when the gates close at night, the park transforms.Over on Reddit there's an ongoing Q & A with "hghost," a graveyard worker at Sea World. Here is a cross section of some of the best questions posed by users and answered by the worker. Note, quotes are taken verbatim.
Q: What is your job? Security? looking after the animals?
A: The official title is "night ops" basically janitorial work.
Q: Any crazy, aquatic tales of the night life? Or is it just creepy? Its creepy that's for sure.
A: At about sunrise the dolphins and whales go crazy. Every night at about the same time the dogs will wake up and start barking and howling. Same with the sea lions
Q: Do you know why?
A: From what I know of the whales and dolphins is that they don't sleep. Unlike us, they have to think of breathing to actually breathe. So every morning they, like most of us, are well rested and have energy to burn. As for the dogs, I'm not sure. That's what dogs do I suppose.
Q: Are those outdoor penguins kept outside overnight? If so, are they as awesome at night as they are during the day? Or are they mostly sleeping? When I was there last, I saw them getting tummy rubs from an employee and had I recorded it, it probably would have been worth like a million karma.
A: They're out all night in their exhibit usually sleeping. Every so often there's one or two pulling an all mightier walking around their exhibit quietly. At about 530 or 6 every morning they start to wake up and sound like they're singing to each other. One will start it and then the others repeat. Reminds me of the music numbers in happy feet.
Q: Do you bond with Shamu? Can you put in a good word with him for me?
A: The whales as well as some other animals learn to recognize you and will usually come up and greet you or try to "talk" to you. He's too big of a star. Maybe Dolly or O.p
Q: What's the worst incident that you've had to deal with?
A: Having trash bags rip spilling trash all over the place including on my clothes. Smells bad
Q: Do you take dates to Sea World or can you not stand the place?
A: Yeah, I have in the past. Its a fun place, I enjoy it there so I like to go on my time off usually. I like the educational aspect of the park. Manta is amazing too. So that also helps...
Q: Dude how creepy is it by the tanks w/ no lights? Oh my god, just thinking about being by a shark tank in the dark just makes me want to cry!
A: Yeah the creepiest tank to be by is the killer whale one. Because down in the under water viewing it is near pitch black darkness and all you can see is the big white spot of the killer whales "eye patch" swim by slowly as it watches you. The sharks that I see aren't so bad. I think its just the massive size of the whale.
Q: What's your favorite of the animals you encounter at work? Why?
A: I'd probably have to go with the dolphins, because they never sleep so tend to watch us work when we're around their tank. They will learn to recognize what you look like and come up and greet you and follow you around their tank. Here are some watching me sweep up. They're fascinated by a lot
Q: Do you ever come across animals that just up and die in the middle of the night, and need to fish them out, or are the sickly ones identified well enough in advance that you don't end up with floaters?
A: I personally haven't but each of the main animals get full medical exams and vitamins and all that daily so they are kept under close watch. If they're looking sick they go to the veterinary area of the park
Q: Are you ever afraid you'll get murdered there in a Scooby-Dooesque manner?
A: No because I know creepy Mr Jenkins wanders around in his Bigfoot costume. There are parts I try to avoid when the lights get shut of and the parts of the park turn to near pitch black.
A: They're out all night in their exhibit usually sleeping. Every so often there's one or two pulling an all mightier walking around their exhibit quietly. At about 530 or 6 every morning they start to wake up and sound like they're singing to each other. One will start it and then the others repeat. Reminds me of the music numbers in happy feet.
Q: Do you bond with Shamu? Can you put in a good word with him for me?
A: The whales as well as some other animals learn to recognize you and will usually come up and greet you or try to "talk" to you. He's too big of a star. Maybe Dolly or O.p
Q: What's the worst incident that you've had to deal with?
A: Having trash bags rip spilling trash all over the place including on my clothes. Smells bad
Q: Do you take dates to Sea World or can you not stand the place?
A: Yeah, I have in the past. Its a fun place, I enjoy it there so I like to go on my time off usually. I like the educational aspect of the park. Manta is amazing too. So that also helps...
Q: Dude how creepy is it by the tanks w/ no lights? Oh my god, just thinking about being by a shark tank in the dark just makes me want to cry!
A: Yeah the creepiest tank to be by is the killer whale one. Because down in the under water viewing it is near pitch black darkness and all you can see is the big white spot of the killer whales "eye patch" swim by slowly as it watches you. The sharks that I see aren't so bad. I think its just the massive size of the whale.
Q: What's your favorite of the animals you encounter at work? Why?
A: I'd probably have to go with the dolphins, because they never sleep so tend to watch us work when we're around their tank. They will learn to recognize what you look like and come up and greet you and follow you around their tank. Here are some watching me sweep up. They're fascinated by a lot
Q: Do you ever come across animals that just up and die in the middle of the night, and need to fish them out, or are the sickly ones identified well enough in advance that you don't end up with floaters?
A: I personally haven't but each of the main animals get full medical exams and vitamins and all that daily so they are kept under close watch. If they're looking sick they go to the veterinary area of the park
Q: Are you ever afraid you'll get murdered there in a Scooby-Dooesque manner?
A: No because I know creepy Mr Jenkins wanders around in his Bigfoot costume. There are parts I try to avoid when the lights get shut of and the parts of the park turn to near pitch black.
Filed under: North America, United States
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 3)
SL Jun 13th 2012 12:10PM
Dolphins and whales do sleep, they use half of their brain to remain awake so they can return to the surface to breathe. Basic knowledge here. Seeing these beautiful, intelligent marine mammals holed up is obscene. In the wild they have families, mourn, communicate, work together to feed and take care of their young, and many travel thousands of miles in groups, and yet we see them as some kind of pet for our amusement to watch go around and around.
jb Jun 13th 2012 12:30PM
Dolphins do sleep with one side of their brain at a time...
:)
Andy Jun 13th 2012 12:36PM
I love all the PETA freaks making comments.
summer Jun 13th 2012 2:32PM
those animals are in a much better place right now with all the dead animals from the ocean. they don't have to die because of the polluted water. I'm sad that they are not free as well, but this world is going down fast and they are buying time by living in captivity. it's not a perfect place but atleast we won't be scooping them up off the beach dead, like the 400 dead dolphins in south america and all the millions of dead fish from the ocean. if the PETA people really want to help these animals then they would go after the elite's who cause all the mager pollution for profit! then maybe they would still have a home to be released to. it's really no use anyhow because the planet is on a no reverse path of destruction, the magnetic field is getting weaker and that affects most fish and birds negatively, also it is becomming harder and harder to take care of the wild animals, most of them who are in danger of extinction cannot survive in the wild so this is why we must step in and help, being free is no longer free for them, we have messed that up with our pollution on every scale, all of the same resources they use have been corrupted by us, making it difficult for them to be free!
tjd68 Jun 13th 2012 2:47PM
no email sent
Winfrey Jun 13th 2012 4:06PM
Now, THAT was a cool interview....
Eddie Ozment Jun 13th 2012 4:18PM
Has anyone seen the spam video about the man on the beach close to the water being swept off his feet by a killer whale and vanishes with the help of another killer whale in seconds. It looks real except for the cold bloodeness of the camera man.
Eddie Ozment Jun 13th 2012 4:21PM
I just pray that all the sea life lovers have the same regard for human life.
dontcopyit Jun 13th 2012 6:12PM
animals will go crazy being kept from their natural habitat. No matter the food and what you do the wild side of them will kick in.
bOB Jun 13th 2012 6:37PM
Remember when these air breathing mamals die. They drown.
Heather Jun 13th 2012 8:10PM
I like that he mentioned the educational aspect of Sea World. You can't forgot that a lot of kids don't have access to the ocean, and if they do, they still wouldn't necessarily be exposed to whales and penguins and other sea animals.
Jayne Jun 13th 2012 7:02PM
Sea world is a strange place. I once went to Sea world and it was very early in the morning there was no one there but me and my friend. What we witnessed was so terrible, I still remember it like it was yesterday, and it was some years ago in Miami.
We witnessed a Crab attact a Lobster and eat it. They were both in the same tank, and I guess they were not fed. We tried to call for help but no one at all was around. We banged the tank, but the slaughter occured. When we finally contacted someone they didn't care and said that's nature! I don't think so, as the Lobster never had a chance. I repeat Sea World is a strange place.
Kellie Jun 13th 2012 7:16PM
I'm not a fan of PETA.....I raise ducks for eating so i'm far from PETA. But I don't care how much you think SeaWorld helps animals in need...yes there are many workers who probably care a great deal for these animals but the big wigs of that company only care about money. If you watch the movie "The Cove" you will see that they contribute to dolphin slaughtering. Oh and not to mention how all these poor sea mammals get such a sensory overload from the loud music and clapping....Think about it dolphins and whales are sensitive to vibrations in the water...what do you think thousands of clapping and yelling fans does to them on a daily basis?? These poor animals have to take loads of medication for depression, anxiety and ulcers. So if you think they are better off living a long depressed life in a tank then living a happy life in the wild with the possibility they might die a little younger from pollution or another animal.....then my friend you are stupid!!! I think if the whales and dolphins could talk they would tell you to get them back to the ocean!!!!!!!
kip Jun 16th 2012 9:24AM
I took my daughter to an "overnighter" in sea world, where we slept with the Beluga Whales. They had several special things for the kids to do after the normal park closed and then we went into a rock sort of cave where they had windows in the tanks and the kids were inches away from the whaleswhere they made noise all night seemingly talking to the kids. We slept in sleeping bags on the rock floor and woke up with the whales talking to us. Loads of fun for the kids. I would reccommed this trip for any parent/kid to do together.
bruce Jun 16th 2012 2:10PM
Creepy is making money off captive mamals and ask them to jump for you! Just recently a trainer lost her life with a killer whale and
Seaworld was found at fault and fined thousands of dollars
appealed and recently lost! Can you "sea" price increases!
Anyway, blah,blah,blah, always hated seaworld. Only went for
the others on Vacation. Enjoy all other theme parks.
Michelle Jun 16th 2012 2:20PM
This sounded and read like a conversation between two morons! What a waste of time...I stopped reading about halfway through. Why the heck did AOL even post this?!
Barbara Smolinski Jun 16th 2012 3:45PM
As I am aware all the whales there in Sea World are named Shamu so that when they die(which happens far more thean the public is allowed to know) another captive whale can be placed and no one is the wiser. Also isn't it a fact that the whale Tikum(spelled wrong) has killed 2or3 people and Sea World has been asked by several sanctuarys to free himand place in a open ocean pen in order to rehabilitate and release into a pod to live out his remaining life in freedom!
Yvonne Jun 16th 2012 3:55PM
The person they interviewed is surprisingly uninformed for an employee of a marine park. At least twice he claims that whales and dolphins don't sleep, but it is a proven fact that they DO sleep. All animals, even insects, sleep. It is a biological necessity. You would think that this person who works at SeaWorld of all places would have learned that by now.
Cindy Jun 22nd 2012 10:07AM
Dude how creepy is it by the tanks w/ no lights? Oh my god, just thinking about being by a shark tank in the dark just makes me want to cry!
Really: Could you have posed your question in a more immature fashion?
Dude-no other salutation exists after the 70's?
Oh my god, just thinking about being by a shark tank in the dark just makes me want to cry!
Is this where we put our arms around you to assure you the boogeyman won't get you?