Marineland of the Pacific Memories

[Lockbar]

Dude, you looked like a movie star back in 1955!

[danakinobi]

Very cool video. I remember going to Marineland as a kid back in the 70's. Many fond memories... I was always sad to see it closed and to drive by the old sign. The giant tanks were always a favorite of mine. I loved being able to look at the dolphins.

[publicitypunk]

GREG MAY of Orlando, Fl says: "One of the biggest disappointments in my life is that I never got to see Marineland of the Pacific. When I was a kid I would write to Clyde Tussey, Marineland's publicist and he would send me press kits on Marineland full of photos and brochures. I still have them. See my 100th Visit to Marineland of Florida on YouTube: Man Makes 100th Visit to Marineland.

[GeorgeVreelandHill]

This is a wonderful video.

Thanks for the memories.

George Vreeland Hill

[surfersteve77]

I remember going on my 3rd grade field trip back in 1984, that place was so cool!!

[349326]

Marineland was great! I grew up in the Torrance area, and went to Marineland a few times. I still have a Marineland pennant flag I bought there in the early 70s, when I was 8 or 9 years old. It was never as big as Seaworld, but I think it had more charm. To bad its all gone now.

[hollywoodartchick]

This is a delightful memoire! Thanks for sharing about the personalities of the fish. I have dived off that beach, but missed the park.

[rockstarfriend2049]

I went there as a kid and LOVED it!!! Around 1978-1979.....Sea Lion Point!!!

[MsConny1962]

Thank you for the nice video!! Your adorable!

[EPCBear]

modspell ---- The missile "silos" you speak of were actually part of the (16 site)NIKE Air Defense system that surrounded the Los Angeles area.

The Palos Verdes / Pt. Vincente site was known as LA-55L and stored it's missiles underground, raising them by elevator to eight separate launchers above ground. The site was first opened in 1956 with NIKE "Ajax" missiles, then converted to the longer ranged and higher altitude "Hercules" missiles in 1958. The site was operational until 1974.

[modspell]

I was out hiking around Palos Verdes one afternoon in the early 90s, on a hillside not far from the old MLofP property, overlooking the light house below. I stumbled upon a huge fiberglass whale laying out in the grass, long abandoned. This was on old government property with the defunct missile silos from WW2. I wonder if it's still out there?

[woodywoodsen]

thank you for sharing this with us!

[wjv4me]

Thanks for sharing this. Our family

drove there on our IL to CA trip in 1965. I loved it there-thanks again!

[m061177k]

Bill, Thanks for the picture at the beginning. My wife and I went there in 1977. One of our photo albums is how I'd like to remember the place, not like the ones I've seen of the abandoned park. Shame on HBJ for their greed.

[Acme111]

I'm re-commenting because my previous comment is overly-harsh. It is very sad that Marineland was closed rather than updated - an unfortunate loss of a really special part of SoCal history.

[wjv4me]

Sea World came in (San Diego) and took their market share away also.

[woodencoasterfan]

We had the same happen to our Marineland just north of Palm Coast, FL. This marineland was the first to successfully keep Dolphins in an inclosed pool. But the Sea World opened in Orlando on Dec 15, 1973. Fortunately our Marineland still survives. Unfortunately, they're nolonger doing shows anymore as they're focusing on rather pricey camps and personal swims with the dolphins.

[StCroixBoix]

Thanks for posting this video, Bill. I lived in PV in 1970 and went to Marineland many times. This brought back some great memories for me.

John A.

St. Paul, MN

[jennrsan]

Thank you for sharing your memories. I grew up in the South Bay and went to Marineland several times a year with family and later my friends. In 1987 I worked in PV and helped get the petitions signed to stop the closing. Your behind the scenes pictures and stories are priceless and I appreciate them very much. Thank you for putting this on YouTube

[webercanyon]

I worked at Marineland for six months in 1987. What happened to lenny the lobster after the park closed? i really liked working there. With my job, I got to go behind the scenes and had a blast.

[grserm]

wow, thanks for this. i visited there in late fifties, i was maybe 10 years old. it was one of the things that changed my life.

[np1070]

Wonderfully done! Thank you so much!

[Katscaveproductions]

Thanks for posting this vide. It was amazing to watch about the place where my Mom used to go.

Thank you. :)

[4q2pab]

Come down to the old Marniland and scuba dive. Lobster season starts Friday! I worked there 'till the last day.

[TaraTownsend]

Thank you for posting this video. I remember going there as a little girl with my parents in the 1960's and have very fond memories. I searched for Marineland on the Internet and found quite depressing pictures of the ruin it became on 'Live Journal'.

[coolspindrift]

Thank you so much for posting this wonderful video. Marineland of the Pacific was a place I always wanted to visit as a kid but unfortunately I lived in Michigan. Thanks for sharing your memories.

[ckminus]

thank you

[iberry]

thank you for sharing your memories. love to hear more of your Marineland of the Pacific stories.

[fathomless26]

As much as you may think that these facilities were approprate at the time, people in this day and age know better. No wonder they got shut down. Those facilities were ill equipt to care for their animals. Why would anyone look back fondly on such stupidity? How many animals died in those tanks in the name of entertainment?

[ckminus]

but you probably like sea world

[Acme111]

Even as a 10-year old in 1974 it was apparent the tanks weren't large enough (or designed appropriately) to house whales. ...entertaining the masses (and turning a buck) was the goal here, rather than appropriate animal husbandry. When it opened in the '50s this could be forgiven - no one knew better (and people felt differently about sea-life, anyway).  By the mid '70s, however, there was much evidence that this place was the end of the road for any animal that ever wound up there.

[JipJDB]

Nice pics and good stories. Thanks for sharing your memories.

[FriendshipTown]

Thanks for making this video. Great job. I have fond memories of Marineland as a kid in the 1970s.

[AnimalAbuseSucks]

When did they close down? Why did they?

[JipJDB]

According to Wikipedia, the owner of SeaWorld bought the place in 1986, and closed it down a few weeks later.

[speedracerjeff]

Only got to experience Marineland Of The Pacific a couple times when i was real young before it closed in the late 80s, but for some reason it holds a dear place in my heart.

[zekeland]

I loved Marineland. Thanks for making this interesting video.

[mytishtash]

hi

5 divers? i thot there was only one! LOL

grew up there as a kid in the 50s. thanks for the feeding show!

loved the 3level aquarium.

flamingos were great too.

miss Marineland and all it offered.

thanks for the vid.

:)