On Memorial Day weekend 2004, SeaWorld San Diego opened the largest and most exciting attraction in its 40-year history: a multimillion dollar project featuring a wet and wild water coaster, and a new 130,000-gallon Commerson�s dolphin habitat. Journey To Atlantis, based on a legendary tale of the mythical island nation, opened May 29.

�Today�s park guests are looking for both adventure and a personal connection with marine life,� says SeaWorld Vice President of Marketing Ed Litrenta. �Journey To Atlantis provides just that type of experience. We�re pleased this new attraction not only re-energizes the park with a breathtaking, heart-pounding ride, but it also features an incredible, personal encounter with Commerson�s dolphins.�

Journey To Atlantis is full of surprises that will delight park guests, with twists and turns that blur the line between myth and reality. Riders board eight-passenger Greek fishing boats for a voyage that tells the tale of Atlantis through simulated tremors and floods, and other dazzling special effects, such as projected lights, fog and water cannons.

Dolphin spirits guide passengers through their journey, which lasts more than six minutes. Along the way, riders experience thrills and chills again and again, including a splashy, 60-foot plunge into a lake. Surprises lurk around every corner, including a dramatic switch from splashy flume ride to exhilarating coaster experience.

After their journey, guests enjoy an underwater view of a marine mammal many have never seen before: Commerson�s dolphins. SeaWorld�s display of these remarkable animals is the only one in the Western Hemisphere and one of only a few worldwide.

Named after French physician/botanist Philibert Commerson, the black and white dolphins are seen swimming in their Atlantis-themed habitat through a 36-foot, four-paneled, acrylic viewing-window.

Commerson�s dolphins are a protected species. Their distinct coloration � coupled with their small size and great agility and speed � set them apart from other marine mammals.

�We�re really excited to have the Commerson�s as part of Journey To Atlantis,� said William Winhall, assistant curator of mammals for SeaWorld. �Many people have never seen them before because their natural habitat, at the southern tip of South America, is largely inhospitable to humans. But now our guests can get a close-up look at these beautiful and rare dolphins.�

The Commerson�s dolphins have been a part of the SeaWorld family since 1983, and were on display at the park�s Underwater Theater from 1984 to 1998. Since then, they have been cared for in a behind-the-scenes area. Another highlight of the park�s world-renowned breeding program, 14 Commerson�s have been born at SeaWorld San Diego.

Ground was broken on Journey To Atlantis in November 2002 on a 5-acre area just south of SeaWorld�s Wild Arctic. At its peak, the project employed nearly 150 workers. Journey To Atlantis was engineered by Mack, a German ride manufacturer founded more than 200 years ago.

One innovative device on the ride gives passengers the illusion they�re not moving when actually they�re being elevated nearly eight stories. It is the only known use of this type of lift technology in the United States.

When guests first enter Journey To Atlantis, they see a 30-foot, bronze and gold ring, representing the rings of land and water that legend holds surrounded the city of Atlantis more than 11,000 years ago. A soundtrack of dolphin vocalizations and ocean waves are heard in the plaza, which features walkways embedded with sparkling seashells, rocks and glass. The focal point of Journey To Atlantis is a pair of majestic towers, in opalescent shades of corals, aquas, blues and greens made to look like giant seashells. The fanciful design is a blend of futuristic and ancient Mediterranean architectural influences. The patinaed finish of the buildings gives them the appearance of having risen back out of the sea after vanishing mysteriously thousands of years ago.

Journey To Atlantis is just one of many exciting reasons to visit SeaWorld in 2004. Guests can expect to see all of their SeaWorld favorites this year: Shamu the killer whale in The Shamu Adventure show, California sea lions Clyde and Seamore in the Fools With Tools sea lion and otter show and much, much more.

SeaWorld Adventure Parks are in San Diego, Orlando, Fla. and San Antonio. In addition to the SeaWorld Adventure Parks, St. Louis-based Busch Entertainment Corporation operates Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Fla. and Williamsburg, Va.; Adventure Island in Tampa Bay; Water Country USA in Williamsburg; Sesame Place near Philadelphia and Discovery Cove in Orlando. The nine parks entertain more than 20 million guests a year and employ more than 15,000 people.

Leaders in conservation and education, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove care for the largest animal collection in the world and offer an education Web site especially for students and teachers at www.seaworld.org. Information on how to contribute to the SeaWorld-Busch Gardens Conservation Fund is at www.swbg-conservationfund.org. General park information is found at www.seaworld.com.

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Media Contact: Kelly Terry +1 619-225-3241 kelly.terry@seaworld.com