SeaVenture at Discovery Cove
Prepare for an attack on your senses! There’s an eerie moment as the helmet descends over your head and you start to go down the ladder leading to the SeaVenture experience at Discovery Cove, Orlando. Perhaps the first shock to the senses, in 90 degree Orlando weather, is the 78 degree water which is quickly followed by the first two minutes wearing your helmet as you lower yourself to a depth of 12 feet and you battle to equalize your ear pressure. As you adjust, everything thereafter is nothing short of an incredible, extraordinary experience as you steadily make your way around the lagoon, holding onto the handrail, and enjoying the visual kaleidoscope before your very eyes.
Over 10,000 animals, representing 125 different species of fish, rays and sharks make the Grand Reef lagoon home and it seems most of them have turned out to play especially for you. Thousands of tropical fish dart through the crystal-clear waters, creating a whirlpool of color inside the reef’s grottos and crevices. Discovery Cove’s experts chose only colorful species whose natural populations are healthy and sustained and they include angelfish, butterflyfish, wrasses and tangs as well as larger, unusual-looking hogfish and filefish. It’s spectacular and the combination of dozens of rays gliding over your head make it a truly unique adventure.
There are four species of rays in the Grand Reef, the spotted eagle, cownose, southern, and bluntnose rays but perhaps the biggest highlight is when you come eye to eye with the sharks as you get up close and personal albeit with them behind the full 8-foot-tall, 21-foot long panoramic window. You will see zebra, nurse, blacktip and whitetip reef sharks close up and you’ll be able to marvel at some of the most deadly predators in the ocean. An awesome sight!
During your journey through SeaVenture, you’ll also encounter the exotic-looking lionfish hiding under a dock – and even touch a star fish or sea urchins found along the way. The adventure ends with schools of fish feeding around the safety divers with the massive open reef as the backdrop.
Your journey underwater will last approximately 20 to 25 minutes and if you’re a little skeptical about the value for money you will get, then take it from me, don’t be. The price is $59 per person but it’s an experience you won’t forget quickly. It really does feel about as close to walking on the moon that normal human beings can encounter except you have the added advantage of an extraordinary visual treat in store with all that goes on around you.
The whole experience is superbly done. From the time you don your wet suit, the simple and friendly training before you enter the water, through to the amazing “underwater moonwalk” before you ascend the ladder back to earth, you’ll believe you had left the planet and walked where few have walked before. It’s simply a fabulous experience so make sure you don’t miss out. Currently 80 lucky guests a day are enjoying SeaVenture and with capacity at 140 people per day from the parks 1,000 guests, word is sure to leak out that this is a “must do.” So why not be amongst the first to say “I did SeaVenture…it was amazing!”
Further, if you’re a Florida Resident, then Discovery Cove is offering a very special Florida Resident rate for the fall season through December 31, 2011. Florida residents can swim and snorkel with marine wildlife, dine and snack all day and relax on the beach while taking advantage of a special rate of $199 for an all-inclusive dolphin swim and $129 for non-dolphin swim admission.
Both packages also include an unlimited admission pass to Sea World Orlando valid until January 31, 2012. Now that’s an amazing deal! Here’s some video…
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