Coffee Breaks: Sea World

This time we must not miss it.

Though we have been to Gold Coast a couple of times, we somehow did not manage to visit Sea World. Dad said he would not miss it for the world and so we went. The entrance fee is about a whopping RM800.00 plus for the four of us although we managed to get one complimentary ticket at the courtesy of the apartment we rented for the 5 days.

Esther booked the holiday apartment online at Aus100.00 a day and in a rented Nissan Tiida we made our way to the beautiful Sea World. Do not be misled that it was winter and that the weather would be too cold. Gold Coast is best visited during winter because not only was the sun up, the temperature was perfect at 18 -20 degrees. So make a beeline to the place next winter. In fact, it would be too hot during summer. No clouds could we see; only clear, blue skies...perfect.

"Ma, take a shot, please !"...when daddy is around, they normally leave the mum alone. Girls stick to dads . We really got ourselves prepared to storm Sea World.

Armed with an itinerary in his hands, dad called the shot and directed us wherever he fancied. So, the first stop was to get up the cable car to have an overall view of the place.

Grace and Esther love to take pictures of themselves and here they are emulating each other closely in their smiles. Thanks to braces !

A bird's eye view of the Sea World through the cable ride was spectacular. Suddenly, we forgot our age, our jobs and just chose to be mesmerised by everything we see. The fearful ride on the roller coaster...do we want to attempt it? Can my heart take it?

Lovely calmness and from a height, the charismatic dolphins display their charm on their audience.

Friendly and not afraid, the dolphins have been trained to befriend their onlookers and some even played with them...of course for a price. Seeing them swim in graceful strokes make you want to go down into the waters to be with them. Grace said after seeing them she doesn't mind being a marine biologist. They respond to the public's call and attention. Cheeky and so lovable...like babies.

Dad became as excited as a teenager as he rushed for the world of sharks.

In this place, you feel that you are part of the marine world.

Queensland with her long coastal pride, is home to millions of marine species. This aquarium carries 6 million litres of water and houses whalers, sharks and a wide spectrum of colourful fishes including the grouper, snapper, and the angel fish.

The Dusty Whaler, the Bull Whaler as well as the Tiger Shark are a potential danger to humans.

The shoal of Butter Bream is a delightful sight and Grace said they reminded her of Nemo...as they flow and swam together in comradeship.

I have never before seen this species of stingray...the cow tail stingray...beautiful and yet looks fearsome

This stingray...was it the species that killed Steve Irwin ?

The myriad of star fishes seems to inhabit naturally here and they are awesome.

Do we actually consume them ... the sea cucumber ? The Chinese treat this species with care cos they have some herbal qualities especially for the ladies.

The polar bear has a strong following as the crowd gathered to be entertained by her skillful acts swimming in the waters.

At first, like Grace, we were disappointed as we were told that the bear is still hibernating somewhere and needed to be in a good spirit to appear before the audience. We were not too sure if we could get a glimpse of her for the day.

But, lo and behold... she decided to appear.

She stood up to the challenge of being the entertainer and pranced gracefully in the waters and it was so thrilling to see her perform without any inhibitions. Adults and children alike were taken in by the wonderful and spectacular display of the day.

Journey to the Unknown

We Were were also drawn into some boat rides like the Viking Revenge Flume Ride and the ride into the unknown of the Bermuda Triangle where missing missiles, ships and people still remain a mystery to many till this day. The ride had features akin to Spielberg's Raiders of The Lost Ark and very entertaining...sending chills down the spine.

But at the end of the day we survived.

That's a lovely shot we had of ourselves despite the chills and thrills.

Next of course, who could resist the penguins? But they are miniatures compared to the ones up north in the Arctic or down south in the Antarctic.

Nevertheless, they capture the attention of many.

Found mostly in the southern coast of Australia , Freemantle, and Western Australia , the tiny Blue, Fairy and Little penguins are small but can have a life span of up to 7 years. Throughout the year there is a season for moulting, nest building, mating and egg laying. The tiny penguins were caught in a shivering state but we were informed that the mechanism helps them to digest and increase their metabolism rate... strange but a fact.

Next, a most hilarious and entertaining show by the Sea Lions. Yes, this intelligent species put up a good story on the need to prevent over fishing and how they cooperated with the sea detectives to curb the mean act. They had us in stitches.

The clever Sea Lion and each time they performed a good act, they were rewarded...fishes.

Sometime in the day, we had a rest and we noticed how the ibis were so unafraid of the human race and were not ashamed to peck on left over foods greedily.

In Sea World, we bought drinks but were not given straws which are banned here because they do not want the risk of them being thrown into any part of the park and become a threat to the marine species. No straws allowed.

Perhaps the epitome of Sea World is culminated in this dolphin show. Captivating and spectacular, the obedient and intelligent dolphins caught everyone in gasping breaths and admiration. They are a wonderful school of mammals ready to entertain their audience with their skills and tricks. Unforgettable.

Everytime, an important act was accomplished, the trainers rewarded them with food...fishes... a good incentive to perform...just like humans who love to be rewarded. You can actually feel the the trust and bond between the trainer and their 'proteges' with the former gliding on top of the latter in glee and laughter. The leaping dolphins danced and kissed their trainers in a world free of threat and harm. They caught the imagination of the audience and the applause was thunderous.