SeaWorld San Diego’s newest attraction is an aquarium full of jellyfish species that has guests of all ages feeling like they’ve stepped into an underwater lava lamp with these otherworldly creatures.
The park’s “Jewels of the Sea: A Jellyfish Experience” opened to the public Saturday as a way to inspire and educate guests about the life and nature of sea jellies. Shortly after the park opened on Monday morning, a steady flow of families and kids trickled into the jellyfish exhibits — likely part of the spring break rush of tourists in San Diego.
The first room features a giant orb covered in rushing water and filled with moon jellyfish. Nearby, kids were crouching to look into a clear tube tank and even adults were sliding on their backs under the adjacent upside-down jellyfish tank to snap a picture of these topsy-turvy creatures.
In another room, kids stood on their tiptoes to peer into the circular windows of the jellyfish tanks while a couple of little girls scurried from window to window shouting “what are these ones?” Educational plaques and interactive fun facts line the walls.
SeaWorld holder Alexis Cacioppo, drove from Los Angeles with her wife and their 2-year-old son Enzo to bask in the wonder of the jellies.
She said Enzo is in a phase where he loves fish and watching his favorite movie “Finding Nemo.” The toddler squealed with excitement as he ran to look at different jellyfish windows, with mom right behind.
“He didn’t want to get out of the stroller until we came in here,” she said. “He’s loving it right now.”
Outside the attraction, the line continued to grow.
It’s the first new aquarium to open at SeaWorld San Diego in a decade, park officials said. Plus, jellyfish are something guests have wanted to see at the park for a longtime.
There are nine species of jellyfish on display, which park officials said will change over time. SeaWorld San Diego touts the 14-foot-cylinder display filled with moon jellyfish as one of the largest jellyfish cylinders in the country.
As of Monday, the park has welcomed about 9,000 guests to the jellyfish experience since it opened, said SeaWorld San Diego spokesperson Tracy Spahr. The attraction is not far from the park entrance — it’s across from the Tentacle Twirl ride — and Spahr said it offers something the whole family can enjoy together.
“We’ve heard our guests — especially our past — wanting and asking for jellyfish specifically for years … This one has a great education and conservation message,” said Spahr, noting SeaWorld’s mission to inspire people to learn more about the ocean and marine animals.
Inside the aquarium guests can peek into a room where SeaWorld wildlife experts are propagating and nurturing new jellyfish. Guests can pay an additional $49.99 for an expert led tour, including a behind the scenes opportunity to touch jellyfish.
Faith Hillard, a senior zoological specialist at SeaWorld San Diego, said education is central to this experience because jellyfish can be a keystone species that helps indicate the general health of the ocean. She said giving people a look at how jellyfish live and reproduce is important because their lifespan is short, spanning from a couple of months to two years.
Hillard said the jellyfish are fed about every four hours. Their diets vary but some of the bigger jellies like whole bits of shrimp while others snack on brine shrimp (also known as sea monkeys) and blended up concoctions of krill.
“Jellyfish just inspire wonder and beauty and I think this exhibit is able to blend that so perfectly with all of our art installations and lighting and to understand this animal that otherwise people might actively avoid,” she said. “For me, it’s relaxing.”
Hillard grew up in Solana Beach and developed a ion for marine life as a kid, often volunteering to do beach cleanups with her family. She hopes this new jellyfish exhibit — which has been in the works since late 2023 — will spark the curiosity of visitors who are introduced to so many different species of jellyfish.
That seemed to be the case for 11-year-old Jackson Eggett, who loves science and thought the Pacific Sea Nettle jellies were particularly cool. His mom, dad and sister were visiting SeaWorld for the first time from Parker, Colo., during their spring break.
In the last section of the experience, the walls and ceiling are covered in LED screens that show artistic accents like a cosmic night sky or an animation of their predators, including sea turtles.
After coasting around the exhibit, Jackson said he’d consider being a marine biologist.
“They have never seen anything like this so it’s a first experience for them,” said Jackson’s mom, Stephanie Eggett.
