SeaWorld San Antonio, Marine theme park in San Antonio, United States
SeaWorld San Antonio is a marine animal park in Texas that combines aquariums, roller coasters, and animal encounters across roughly 100 hectares (250 acres) of land. The facility divides into themed zones with pools for dolphins, orcas, and sea lions, alongside rides and play areas for different age groups.
Developed by Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich for $170 million, the park opened on May 27, 1988 as Sea World of Texas, drawing 75,000 people on its first day. Anheuser-Busch bought it in 1989 and added the Budweiser Clydesdales; Blackstone acquired the SeaWorld parks in 2009. Orca Encounter replaced the theatrical shows in 2020, and Catapult Falls, the first launched flume ride, opened in 2024.
The park opened as Sea World of Texas, and its Shamu Theater is a geodesic dome housing four orcas, including Kyuquot, born at the defunct Sealand of the Pacific in Canada. Beluga Bay keeps a breeding group and took in Tyonek, a Cook Inlet beluga stranded in Alaska as a calf in 2017 and deemed non-releasable.
The 416-acre park sits in the Westover Hills District on San Antonio's west side, with Aquatica San Antonio, the water park, open April through September. The entrance arch carries a flagpole flying the U.S. flag above the Texas flag, and a sign inside reads "Ride the New Wave" over "WAVE BREAKER".
Wave Breaker runs directly over water surfaces and mimics rescue missions for marine animals while accelerating to 70 kilometers per hour (44 mph). Riders sit on seats resembling jet skis, following a route with tight turns just above the water.
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