Day 9 - Sealand of the Pacific

I find change interesting.  Change that I didn't see, especially.  Like, how a city once had a roller coaster down the side of a small mount that no-one seems to know about these days.  The Mount Tolmie roller coaster burnt down in 1896, and I can't seem to find any pictures of it.  But I wonder what it would have looked like when I stare up the side of the hill.  Less so when gasping my way up on a morning run. Though glad it's gone, the view wouldn't been as great up there with a big wooden structure on top.  I know the Shelbourne Valley was mostly arable land and orchards, and it's fun to try and picture what would have been where my apartment is now.

Other vanished landmarks of Victoria are much more recent.  Sealand of the Pacific closed in 1992, after the tragic death of one the part time keepers.  Sealand opened in the late 1960's and had several captive orcas during it's existent, including a very rare albino whale, Chimo, and the famous 'Blackfish' Tillikum. I believe they also had some seals, and the three very fat, friendly seals you might spot in the Oak Bay marina today are ex-captive seals that stick around for fish and scraps from visitors and locals.

Tillikum is the star of the documentary 'Blackfish', which details another tragic death by a keeper in 2010 in Orlando's sea world, where he was moved to after the Oak Bay venue closed down.  It questions Sea World's claims that keeping orca's in captivity is helpful for their well being or man's knowledge of these huge mammals. It also details some of the disturbing ways that the animals are kept, with broken teeth and little or no space to exercise like they would in the wild.  So I don't exactly shed a tear for Sealand's closing.

While watching sea mammals is thrilling in close quarters, it's even more so when out on a boat in the waters of Vancouver Island.  I've been on tours with the Mackie's of Port McNeill and the Prince of Whales of Victoria. Saw itinerant pods both times (as well as some humpbacks), with the Mackie's trip being especially amazing with the number of times we saw the Orca's breach and hop out of the water in pursuit of a dolphin for their lunch.

I've been around Oak Bay marina a few times, and as far as I can tell, no sign of the sea animal pens are left.  A search on the internet only finds a few photos, and some very grainy video, mostly linked to the aforementioned deaths.  I can't quite picture where the attraction would have been, and how much of a draw to Oak Bay and Victoria would it have been.  Victoria always seems to be a quieter tourist town, with old history... not aquariums and roller coasters.  With Underworld Gardens now closed, that's another of the quirky (and cruel) attractions gone.