So long splashes, hello shrieks

Busch Gardens, trying to stay current, will move its dolphins to Sea World and replace them with a "4-D' thrilling film from the Goosebumps creator.

[Times photo: John Pendygraft] The "Dolphins of the Deep" show, which features Bud and two other dolphins nicknamed after beers, will close Sept. 2 after 22 years.

By JACKIE RIPLEY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 14, 2002

TAMPA -- Watching their soaring leaps and crowd-pleasing antics, no one would have guessed Tuesday that dolphins Mic, Dooley and Bud are in their final homestand at Busch Gardens.

After 22 years of wowing and soaking audiences, the Dolphins of the Deep show will close Sept. 2 in what officials are calling a facelift for the theme park.

The dolphins, nicknamed for beers, will be moving to Orlando's Sea World with two sea lions, two otters and their trainers.

"We're 43 years old," said Robin Carson, general manager of Busch Gardens in Tampa. "It's time to change and improve and to provide a diverse product."

Busch promoters hope to pump up enthusiasm from the younger set with a new exhibit called Haunted Lighthouse, a 25-minute adventure film based on a story by R.L. Stine, author of the popular and scary Goosebumps books. The story is billed as the chilling tale of two children in a coastal resort who explore the mystery of a haunted lighthouse.

The show is touted as "4-D," because in addition to requiring 3-D glasses, it will have multisensory special effects including surround sound. The 750-seat theater opens next spring where the dolphin theater and tanks stand. Until now, aside from a few rides and the animal exhibit, there has been little entertainment at Busch aimed strictly at children.

Theme parks across the nation are struggling to keep attractions current and attendance up. Despite annual passes that offer deep discounts, visits to Busch were down last year by 8 percent, trade magazine Amusement Business reports. About 4.6-million people visited the theme park.

Two years ago in Orlando, Busch opened Discovery Cove, a small park that offers about 1,000 guests a day a chance to swim with dolphins at an admission price approaching $200.

Though dolphin shows were once a staple at parks in sunny Florida, few theme parks have them now.

"It's becoming less popular," said Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist at the Humane Society of the United States. "Whales and dolphins don't belong in captivity for general display."

Rose said, however, that there has been "a rash of facilities opening in the Caribbean in the last few years."

While animal welfare groups might applaud the end of the dolphin show, others view the news with regret.

"They're friendly animals. Everyone loves dolphins," said 16-year-old Sairah Arif, visiting the park Tuesday from the United Kingdom. "It's a unique show, especially in a roller coaster park."

James and Marilyn Owen, who live in North Florida and have been coming to Busch Gardens for 20 years, said they were sad to hear the dolphins would go.

"We're real fans," James Owen said. "It's one of the nicest things here, better than Disney World."

"I know there will be folks here who love them," said Carson, the park's general manager. But "the opportunity (to move them) is good for the company as a whole."

-- Times staff writer Mark Albright contributed to this report. Jackie Ripley can be reached at (813) 269-5308 or ripley@sptimes.com.

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