SeaWorld San Diego changes shark story from apex predators to endangered species

SeaWorld San Diego wants to change the bad reputation of sharks thanks to movies like “Jaws,” “The Meg” and “Sharknado” from apex predators to endangered species with a refreshed aquarium exhibit at the marine life park.

Shark Encounter reopens on Friday, May 22 at SeaWorld San Diego after an eight-month refurbishment that added fresh paint, redressed rockwork, new props, digital screens and projection scenes to the exhibit. SeaWorld hosted a media preview of Shark Encounter on Tuesday, May 19.

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The 280,000-gallon aquarium with three pools and a signature walk-through tunnel features about 40 sharks representing 10 species.

The updated storyline in the SeaWorld exhibit paints sharks as personable, friendly, calm and sensitive fish that just happen to be highly evolved hunters at the top of the food chain.

The latest refurbishment marks the first major update to Shark Encounter since the exhibit opened in 1992.

The old exhibit featured scary music and spooky lighting intended to reinforce the public’s fear of sharks, according to SeaWorld Aquarist Nathan Merghart.

“Back when the original exhibit opened, there was still a lot of confusion around sharks and not a lot was known about them,” Merghart said during a tour of Shark Encounter. “A lot more information has come out about these animals. They’re not these big, giant, terrifying, scary things that everybody used to think they were.”

The new exhibit features a summer beach town vibe with surfing props, water safety signage and plenty of information designed to lighten the stigma about sharks, according to Merghart.

“These guys have a bad reputation and get a very bad rap for lots of things,” Merghart said during a tour. “They can be scary and they do have big teeth, but they’re not really as problematic as a lot of people think.”

Sharks are under attack with some species in danger of disappearing, according to an eight-minute video playing on a loop at the end of the exhibit.

More than 100 million sharks are killed a year due to overfishing, water pollution, climate change and loss of habitat, according to the video.