Answer: Why not?
My main reason for starting this page was in response to several requests for Sea World of California information posted in the newsgroup alt.disney.disneyland in the late 1990's. Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and Sea World have the most interest for those coming from outside the state, and many inquiries about were being posted to a.d.d. by those who have found the information on the official corporate web sites lacking. Disney parks and several of the other theme parks had been covered quite well, but no one had undertaken an independent Sea World web site. That was back when Usenet was very active, probably 80% of the people on the 'net these days have no idea what it is or how to use it, and the disneyland usenet groups are pretty quite except for a few die-hards and spammers.
I had a 12-Month (annual) pass to Sea World of California from February 1992 until October 2008 and made frequent visits before I got pretty burned out on all the (as I saw them) poorly conceived changes. That aside, with all the time I spent there I know a bit about the park and the surrounding area. Because of this, several friends suggested that I author this site, and here it is.
When I started The SWIG, the official Sea World Site had lots of inaccurate, out of date information and was simply lacking any real value in planning a trip to the parks. They have been doing a GREAT job since the middle part of 2001, and in mid-2003 their site was a truly nice experience while my site tended to get a bit behind. Still, their descriptions of the rides and shows are full of marketing fluff. I give you a visitor's perspective, though it is admittedly biased by my personal opinion. In addition, you will find things here that they will never tell you, such as information on where to stay and locations of area restaurants if you want to avoid the long lines and limited food selection within the park. To keep the site more useful, I have tried to remove a lot of the information that is outdated or could become so as I do not have time to update this site more than a few times a year.
The SWIG would not exist without the encouragement of many good friends I've met because of alt.disney.disneyland, most notably fellow (but long since former) long-time Sea World passholder Cindy Stephens.
I am quite aware that there are many that believe that animals should not be kept in captivity for any reason. I respect your right to hold that opinion, and honor your peaceful efforts to attain your goals. I also believe people should not be continually harassed by those with opposing viewpoints. Know now that I have formed my opinions after many years of research, both via the media and by interacting with people in the field. I am quite aware of the atrocities that have been committed by Sea World and their ilk over the years. There is nothing that you can say nor any evidence that you can present that is going to sway my opinion and/or convince me to abandon this effort, so don't waste the bandwith. Please respect my rights as I respect yours. Thank you.
