I came across this piece today. Creepy. I would really like to visit all of them! Well, maybe not the one close to Chernobyl. 

Seabreeze is the park I grew up with as a kid. In my summer vacation article on RJ I list my favorites from there.

I used to love going to Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta. It had a great water slide.

Okay... so here are my thoughts on this...

I've seen the documentary "Blackfish", and naturally it's an extremely one-sided film (as are most documentaries). While I feel like Sea World is not completely innocent in this, I certainly don't feel like the incidents that occur there are "all their fault".

For starters, these trainers surely know the risks involved. I mean, they are called "KILLER WHALES" after all!!!
It's like expecting no problems taking your pet T-Rex out for a stroll only to have him decide to "play" with you one day.

Secondly, where do we draw the line in assessing whether or not a job is just TOO risky? I work with propane. Propane blows up if you don't handle it right. Should we just not ever handle it then?

I don't know, I say if the trainer is willing to risk life and limb to play in the water with animals 500 times heavier than them with a mouth full of sharp teeth, then hey... have at it. Just don't expect a whole lot of anger to be directed at your employers for YOUR choices.

But, I still don't know where I fall here. Somewhere in the middle I suppose. How about you?

A friend and I hit King's Island yesterday. Their new coaster (Banshee) was a very nice addition.  Great coaster. Now I'm sunburnt and sore though today.

At first I agree with you: Anyone wanting to do this job should be aware that it's inherently dangerous.  

But a dog chained up on a concrete patio in all weather, fed scraps, beaten, never cleaned or played with, will become vicious and mean.  The creatures at SeaWorld are abused and neglected.  They're going to lash out, and everything I've heard indicates SeaWorld SOP has zero consideration for the well-being of their animals.  So that is their fault.

@steak: I agree with you also. These are just not animals that handle isolation and confinement well. Dolphins and some other creatures seem to do okay, but not the orca.

Here is a picture I took of The Banshee. This was an AWESOME coaster. Just truly awesome. You never feel like you are just cruising along. You are in constant motion (aside from moving forward of course). An amazing ride.



Another cool fact about this ride: It was built on the same ground as the Son of Beast. So to commemorate the Son of Beast's time there, there is a giant monument with the Son of Beast's logo and the dates "2000-2009" inscribed on it located along the waiting line. Cool. 

I miss riding this ride with no shoes on and enjoying the breeze from the lake nearby

That looks pretty wicked TDitH. Reminds me of Delirium at K.I., only Delirium doesn't swing you completely upside down like that.

Hey... anybody feel like chipping in some dollars for a roller coaster? Shouldn't be too expensive.