Goodbye “Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island”

By Cameron Bullock

Two of the most well known California Sea Lions, Clyde and Seamore, have been winning over the hearts of thousands of families with their show, “Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island”. For the past 15 years Clyde and Seamore have transported us to a world filled with pirates, mimes and corny jokes. This Friday, media and fans got together to celebrate one last voyage and discuss what made SeaWorld’s longest running show so wildly successful.

Once the crowd had gathered, Assistant Curator of Animal Training Todd Coffman spoke about the training techniques SeaWorld uses with their sea lions. The sea lions, like all SeaWorld animals, are trained using positive reinforcement methods based on a strong relationship and copious amount of trust between the animals and the dedicated training team.

After the show, I had the chance to interview Coffman and ask him what he believed lead to this show’s immense success.

AwesomeOcean: What aspect of the current show has lead to its success?

Todd Coffman: “I think one of the big aspects of its success is the ability we have to modify segments of the show without having to change the entire show. Being able to make it interchangeable and to make it fresh. We have the ability to input little jokes in the show and if you listen carefully you’ll be able to hear some Kardashian jokes in there. So we can keep it fresh for the audience and that’s why I believe it has done so well.”

“Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island” calls guests of all ages to participate in the show, and young and old will never forget the moment they shook hands with a California Sea Lion in front of 2,500 people. For that one person, it could be the moment that shapes the rest of their life.

As bittersweet as goodbyes are, there is always one thing to look forward to…the new show coming next year.

SeaWorld has not released much information about this new show, however, we can report that there are plans to introduce more characters that the current show. This Sunday was the last “Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island” show and it played to a full stadium. It seems like everyone wanted to take one last trip to Pirate Island.

Until next time!