Skippy, a black-speckled zebra shark, eagerly greets visitors from behind the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, as parkgoers walk through an underwater tunnel in the newly remodeled 300,000-gallon viewing gallery at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo.
Last month, the park’s beloved Shark Experience, an animal attraction, got a makeover that even 21-year-old Skippy can appreciate. A newly designed entryway with blue marine life murals and a wooden walkway welcome guests. Sea-colored tile floors have replaced the gallery carpet. And improved lighting, sound and a stage for guest presentations are the first enhancements of this kind in the exhibit’s 31 years at the amusement park.
Erin Paiva, the Shark Experience’s senior aquarist, hopes the remodel will draw more visitors and help demystify the animals. “Primarily, our messaging is sharks aren’t scary, they’re really important and vital to the ecosystem,” Paiva said.
She heads a team of four other aquarists, who provide nutritional, behavioral and medical care for the animals. She believes their work helps conserve vulnerable wildlife and educate people of all ages about sharks’ importance to marine ecology.
Hollywood’s cinematic depiction of sharks in films such as “Jaws” and dozens more have created a menacing view of sharks that, according to Paiva, neglect their vital role in the ecosystem. As apex predators, sharks regulate prey populations to keep the ocean healthy and rich in biodiversity. Climate change and overfishing threaten their survival, however, making conservation efforts all the more important. It’s the force behind the aquarium’s mission.
The exhibit houses 15 sharks of five different species: bamboo, sandbar, nurse, zebra and spotted wobbegongs, a type of carpet shark with an especially memorable name. Their neighbors include more than 30 species of fish, including a female southern stingray named Frog. The fish are there to help balance the marine ecosystem, eat algae and clean other animals, according to Paiva, enhancing the viewing experience for onlookers as they walk through the aquatic tunnel toward the windows of a 15-foot deep tank.
Many of these creatures “have lived here their whole lives, so this exhibit update is for them, too,” Paiva said. “It’s enrichment for them to have more people come in and hang out with them.”
Shark Experience first opened in 1992, back when the park was owned by Marine World/Africa USA. The popular Marine World park originally opened in Redwood City in 1968, where it drew crowds for attractions including dolphin shows and a water-skiing elephant named Judy. Decades of financial troubles prompted the move to Vallejo in 1985, and its purchase by Six Flags Entertainment in 1996 brought an influx of rollercoasters and thrill rides to augment the animal attractions.
DETAILS: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom opens at 11 a.m. daily at 1001 Fairgrounds Drive in Vallejo. Admission, which is $40 online or $90 at the gate, includes the shark exhibit and other animal attractions. Find more information at SixFlags.com.
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