SeaWorld Shark Encounter Case Study
AVI-SPL uses experiential AV to create an immersive and connected shark exhibit journey
Organization
SeaWorld
Location
San Diego, CA, USA
Market
Theme Park and Entertainment
Solutions
Christie Digital, DigiLED, Netgear AV, Q-SYS, Shure
SeaWorld, a global leader in marine-life theme park adventures, wanted to refresh its shark exhibit to create a more connected and compelling experience for visitors.
The vision: Transform a corridor and gallery into a connected multi-sensory experience
SeaWorld San Diego’s Shark Encounter invites guests to rethink everything they know about sharks. Sharks are presented, not as fearsome predators, but as vital, misunderstood animals that keep our ocean ecosystems in balance.
The journey begins along the sandy shores of a familiar beach town, where guests learn how sharks shape healthy coastlines and why conservation starts right at the water’s edge. As the path descends toward the ocean floor, guests observe sharks from above, watching them glide peacefully through their pools while discovering how their behaviors, biology, and adaptations have evolved over millions of years.
“When you first come into the exhibit, you start at the upper level,” explained Christopher Pousson, Project Manager at SeaWorld San Diego. “The story arc that we have is you’re coming into a coastal beach town. As you work your way down through the exhibit, you gradually move beneath the water level and ultimately into an immersive underwater experience.”
The building “Shark Encounter” calls home is also home to multiple exhibits. SeaWorld creatives wanted every portion of the environment to feel connected in sight, sound, and story. The corridor and final gallery in the exhibit lacked that connective feeling.
Following a successful partnership on the “Jewels of the Sea: Jellyfish Exhibit,” SeaWorld brought in AVI-SPL and XTG to assist with the refresh of its shark exhibit, “Shark Encounter.”
SeaWorld San Diego – Shark Encounter
Connecting the exhibit through immersive audio, video, and environmental storytelling
AVI-SPL worked closely with SeaWorld stakeholders to create a seamless transition from the beach to underwater shark viewing and an immersive educational marine-life gallery.
AVI-SPL and XTG, AVI-SPL’s Experience Technology Group, deployed DigiLED and Q-SYS tech throughout. And they added Christie Digital, Netgear AV, and Shure solutions.
“We had a successful formula with Jellyfish,” shared Joshua Ladwig, AVI-SPL Account Manager. “SeaWorld was happy, the technology partners were happy, and everyone had developed a strong rhythm. Carrying those relationships and technologies into Shark Encounter made a lot of sense.”
Powering the Lost World Aquarium
A 35-foot DigiLED direct-view LED video wall lives overhead, guiding visitors through four immersive ocean zones in the corridor. Visitors go from the shallows, nearshore waters, open ocean, and the deep sea. Each zone simulates a gradual descent to the ocean floor.
How does each zone simulate that experience? As guests move through the corridor, schools of fish silhouettes pass above them. Ceiling lighting shifts to darker tones to give the viewer the feeling that they are getting further and further from the surface.
In addition to video walls and lighting, AVI-SPL embedded speakers to play immersive soundscapes that shift as guests move into each zone, furthering the illusion.
Once through the corridor, guests enter the acrylic tunnel surrounded by sharks. Visitors can look up to see 37 sharks across ten different species as they move through the walkway.
The walkway drops guests into a final room on their journey, the marine-life gallery. DigiLED ceiling video walls continue to show visitors shark silhouettes above. Meanwhile, curved video walls and displays feature content, educating visitors on the threats sharks face and SeaWorld’s tiger shark breeding program.
To achieve that goal, AVI-SPL deployed three synchronized direct-view LED displays: two vertical walls and an expansive overhead display. Together, the displays create a cohesive visual environment that surrounds guests with ocean imagery while complementing the live shark habitat visible through the attraction’s large acrylic viewing window.
At the heart of the experience is Q-SYS’ Core 24f. This hub controls sound, video routing, and room controls. SeaWorld employees use a wall-mounted touch panel to access and manage the system. Christie Digital’s Pandora’s Box platform manages high-resolution video throughout the exhibit. Also supporting the experience is Netgear AV’s M4250 AV-over-IP SWITCH sending audio data across audio zones.
In addition to these environments, AVI-SPL incorporated Shure wireless microphone headsets and transmitters for clear employee exhibit host presentations.
“The final viewing room feels super immersive because you have screens in front of you, over the top of you, and then an actual viewing window into the tank itself,” said Pousson. “It all works really well together.”
Designed around animal welfare
Throughout the project, SeaWorld and AVI-SPL worked carefully to ensure that technology enhanced the environment without detracting from animal well-being.
Programmed lighting transitions follow gradual day-to-night cycles rather than abrupt changes. Multiple rounds of testing ensure audio levels, media brightness, and color saturation are carefully calibrated.
According to Pousson, the project team’s focus remained consistent throughout the installation process: “Making sure the media doesn’t take away from the animals themselves but enhances the space and complements them.”
“Your team was great at hearing the needs and being able to come up with custom solutions that satisfied guest needs, operational needs, animal needs, and even special-events needs in the space,” said Pousson. “The result is a user-friendly system that helps us provide the best possible experience for our guests.”
Transformed transition space and media gallery create one connected encounter
“The guest feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Pousson. “We saw over 250,000 guests come into Shark Encounter within the first few weeks of opening.
Before, people moved from Point A to Point B. Now they’re stopping, looking up, and engaging with the experience throughout the exhibit.”
AVI-SPL worked closely with SeaWorld throughout the refresh to ensure every audio, video, and lighting element contributed to an immersive and educational journey. This cohesive attraction seamlessly guides visitors from the shoreline, through the ocean depths, and into an immersive shark-viewing environment and an educational media gallery.
Ready to create attractions that seamlessly blend live exhibits, artifacts, storytelling, and AV technology, and storytelling?
Our XTG team is ready to help you bring it all together to create one captivating and connected journey for your guests! Contact us today to get started!
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