I loved my Sea Lion Swim at Coral World in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
Coral World Ocean Park is an ocean themed eco park in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. It is located by the Coki Bay near the Coki Point Beach with beautiful clear water. The park has a nice open feeling and is located next to the ocean. There are several exhibits in the park. There are also many additional small-group experiences that visitors can sign up for.
We signed up for the Sea Lion Swim. The trainer took us into a building where the sea lions live. Before we entered, we had to pass a tray of sanitizing liquid, so that we wouldn’t bring the germs in to the sea lions. We then walked in a room without a roof. The trainer told us that when hurricane Irma and hurricane Maria came, they lost the roof of the building that they thought was built for severe hurricanes. Good news was that the sea lions were safe. The sea lions were moved to another building that stood through the storm. When we visited, many buildings in St. Thomas were still not repaired. I hope everything gets rebuilt soon!
We each put on a life jacket and the trainer gave us a safety orientation. We first got to say Hi to a giant sea lion who was happily lounging in a holding area and was on his way back to take a rest. He showed us some tricks and sang for us.
We then moved into the encounter pool and met another sea lion who is miniature sized compared to the other one we just met, but still huge compared to me. He was a very sweet sea lion! My dad shook hands with him. My mom got a kiss from him. He even laid his head on my shoulder. So sweet!
He jumped into the pool and did a nice flip. He zoomed around the pool and was having fun playing. We were able to pet him on his back. He periodically stuck his head out of the water and smiled to us. What a fun personality!
He followed the trainer’s instructions and showed us different parts of his body. I didn’t know that the sea lions’ fins separate like human’s hands with fingers.
After our Sea Lion Swim, we were able to see our pictures in the gift shop and purchase them. These will be fun memories forever! It felt like we were with the sea lions for about an hour (I didn’t keep track of time).
I would have liked to stay at Coral World all day! I would definitely recommend trying the Sea Lion Swim at Coral World or other close encounters. It was more than swimming with sea lions. It was fun and educational meeting these sweet creatures!
There are other fun exhibits in Coral World. I will write about the Coral World itself next!
Coral World Ocean Park
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