Orca Encounter ( killer Whale Show) SeaWorld / San Diego, CA / July 31, 2025

And on behalf of the Into Orca Stadium, being a part of SeaWorld's mission is more than just a job. We are proud of what we do, and it is a privilege to care for, learn from, teach, and build relationships with these amazing animals. Now, more than ever, we are honored to share those relationships and all that we've learned from them with all of you. And now, please enjoy Orca Encounter! My name is Blake, but that was like, kind of. And 60-year-old Corky, two members of our killer whale family, demonstrating their incredible size, speed, power, and complex learning abilities. These behaviors keep our whales active and engaged. SeaWorld's killer whales have inspired generations all around the world. And we're so excited to share their stories with all of you today. As trainers, we spend years building relationships with our killer whales. This builds trust, allows us to provide them with research, healthcare, and a great quality of life. In fact, all eight of our killer whales take an active role and participation in their own healthcare and their well-being through the use and training of husbandry or medical behaviors. One of Corky's husbandry positions, something whales learn, is to roll over and present us with the underside of their tail fin, just like you see on screen. In this position, it gives us a great look at their entire bodies. But it also allows our veterinary team to come and collect a blood sample from the veins. This is a voluntary blood sample, and it's due to these public trust relationships that we're able to ask for this. Now, this is just one of the ways we ensure whales are staying healthy. Another important healthcare behavior is monitoring our whales' weight. The killer whales can slide up onto a giant, killer whale-sized tail, just like you see on screen, and lift their tail clips all the way up and out of the water so we can weigh their full body. If you look over on stage, Ikaika's going to be sliding up, and Corky is making her way to the slide out to demonstrate his behavior. They lift their tail clips out of the water, and while it's visually stunning, it's real purpose was trained to allow us to monitor our whales' behavior. Just like this, we also use our whales for high-energy power-up behaviors, like lunges and jumps up and down slides. The overall health is the most important part of our job. We strive to achieve all of this through diet, exercise, lots of love, and of course, lots of fun play. And our whales sure do love to play. As trainers, we get creative, coming up with new games, toys, and enrichment for the whales to interact with. And it's super fun seeing how they enjoy interacting with us and other members of the pod. But the best part about playtime is when we get to invite all of you guys down into the fun. Ready, go! As you can see, playtime is fun for everybody, but believe it or not, play is how young killer whales learn hunting skills. Killer whales are apex predators, so they'll prey on pretty much anything out in the open ocean, from fish and marine mammals to the great white shark, and even the largest animal on Earth, the blue whale. The blue whale is five times longer and 50 times heavier than whales just like Forky and like Aiko. So you may be wondering, how does a whale their size prey on a whale of that size on the open ocean? Skill and teamwork allow them to hunt the blue whale and all other different types of prey. Killer whales all around the world have developed unique hunting techniques to catch prey of choice. Using their powerful tail flips, they can pursue prey at over 30 miles an hour. They can capture sea lions by pulling them right off the beach. The natural, athletic behavior we see in killer whales is the ability to beach themselves, turn, and re-enter the water. It's transient possible. They will lie in water. Antarctic killer whales will create waves that wash over floating ice and knock seals into the water. This hunting behavior is incredible to witness, but in order to experience the power of a killer whale's wave, we have two very brave volunteers that are going to come on down and experience the power. So you guys ready? You guys are going to take a seat over there. You guys are seals, and that is your ice pool. So go ahead and sit down. You're going to hold onto that handle. It's 55 degrees. It's pretty cold. You guys ready to get wet? Ready to see them get wet? Hunting behavior gives you a peek at the teamwork that killer whales use to catch their prey. During a hunt, they might use their peck slab or even a breech on the surface of the water to communicate, and they use their powerful tail flips to stun prey. But today, I have a feeling these whales are stunning all of you. And as you can see, it's time to get wet. Killer whales are impressive. It's pretty obvious why they're the top predator on Earth. That means killer whales are invincible, right? Wrong. Killer whales depend on a plentiful food source and a clean environment. They are completely dominant, yet completely dependent. Their future depends on you, through your actions. Through the choices we all make. The future of killer whales and the ocean is in our hands. Killer whales continue to surprise and engage us. They're the perfect ambassador for the ocean. Limitless, connected, and powerful. But still vulnerable. The ocean needs our help, and that can seem overwhelming. But together, we can make a change. So much to learn. So much to explore. So much to protect. The ocean is facing significant changes, but don't give up. Be inspired. The killer whale story is still being written. And there's simple things we can all do to make a difference. All it takes is one. One choice. One positive act. One group that can grow and grow and change the world. Together, we've got this. This is Keith in our yard. Always be true. And you'll be amazed. One day, if you just open your heart. Reach out, you'll speak from within.