Abandoned - Marineland of the Pacific

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Situated on the gorgeous Palos Verdes Peninsula was once one of the most iconic amusement parks in California and certainly the largest marine based oceanarium in the Los Angeles area, opening a year before Disneyland. Marineland of the Pacific ultimately grew to a become a massive park where millions of visitors from around the world would come to see the various exhibits and attractions held within the picturesque facility. However this draw only lasted for so long as their main competitor Sea World had different plans for the iconic park.... One that ultimately left this theme park completely abandoned.
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BrightSunFilms 2021
Presented in 4K

[@iispjhanna]

I worked at Marine land in the early 80's for a couple years. I was in the Operating Engineers union back then. Luckily I was trained/placed in the care takers role on rotating shifts. My tasks were to monitor all the exhibits/tanks for any troubles. One of the tasks was to partially drain the killer whale tank every day, flush the filters and refill the tank. The best part was after the park closed and the graveyard shift I and a security guard had the park all to ourselves. We became buddies and being young we started to play with the animals. Feeding the orcas was a blast - and forbidden, naturally. The orcas started to remember us and got us in trouble. One afternoon shift I walked up to the edge of the tank and leaned on the railing. The orcas were in the middle of a show and then saw me and forgot about the show and came straight to me with open mouths and started squealing and doing tricks. Needless to say I had a hard time explaining to the upset trainers I had no idea why. And then there was the night I rode the female orca around the tank while the security guy kept feeding the big one. Fun times.

[@babydriver8134]

The poop we got away with back then? Memorable. My friends and I would go to LAX and sit at the end of the north runway and watch the jets come at us and take off over our heads.

[@armybeef68]

Working at an amusement park back in the 80's was so much fun.

[@surferbri5346]

Too bad California is such a dump now

[@mindyschocolate]

@@surferbri5346 not nearly as much as the south.

[@itsjusrex]

To even contemplate something like that now would get you filmed recorded and arrested. Ahhh the good old days.

[@keszerda8364]

One of the things not mentioned in the video was how Harcourt Brace had sabotaged the facilities to ensure that no one could ever reuse them for a marine park. I have memories from Marineland's waning days of watching the draining orca tank from the underwater viewing rooms. In one of many cynical moves, Harcourt Brace had drilled holes in the bottoms of the tanks to let the water drain into the ocean, and ensure it would be impossible to repair the damage. So where orcas once swam, for a brief period of time, you could watch a whirlpool instead, slowly draining the massive tank. There were further stories that pump rooms and pipes were filled with concrete to similarly ensure they were completely ruined. My other memory of the park was from the year prior. I'd gone on a field trip with my elementary school class. I don't remember much, if anything of the actual trip, but I do remember for some reason the school bus driver pointed out Henry Winkler's house on the way back. Unlike a lot of other amusement parks, Marineland was right in the middle of a fairly posh neighborhood, so a lot of celebrities and the like lived fairly close by.

[@rebelliousreptile7336]

Jesus christ, I have never heard of such a sabatage as that. Why the hell didnt they just turn it into a seaworld? Its so confusing.

[@tvdan1043]

@@rebelliousreptile7336 Because it was just a couple hours from SeaWorld San Diego.

[@rebelliousreptile7336]

@@tvdan1043 a couple of hours is still a bit far. but i guess your right

[@barondugger]

@@rebelliousreptile7336 I'm from that area. A big problem is that it is very difficult to get there. Before all the housing went up, there wasn't a lot of traffic. Now? 45 minutes minimum from the Harbor Freeway. Seeing all that land undeveloped makes me cry. It was so cheap back then! Marineland was always my favorite place to go. Good memories.

[@SonicBoone56]

Jesus fucking Christ

[@HermioneSamara]

I'd never thought I'd see the day where Marineland would get the Abandoned, Bright Sun Films treatment. Even though it was before my time, Marineland is a legend among Palos Verdes residents. My mom worked there for a couple of summers back in the 80s. Thank you for making this video and keeping the memory alive.

[@intermodus2180]

What a weird comment

[@danakirkendoll]

My dad worked there for a Summer as a young adult! It's always cool to see the South Bay represented!

[@josiealvarado2296]

It was a beautiful ride to marineland palos verdes is so beautiful my husband loved the Baja Reef

[@intermodus2180]

@@josiealvarado2296 what😕 what's going on here 🤔I mean, seriously..I can't tell if..trolls, or hackers..or, um... cause how can that make sense to you.... I mean...you really read that backwards OP and thought to yourself, you'll send one sentence of vaguely coherent text, and that made sense to you................... Waht😐 **Ty

[@intermodus2180]

@@josiealvarado2296 **better.

[@MarkFreid]

One of my strangest but also best memories from my childhood was swimming through Baja Reef. It was such a weird experience. You would go in, they would size you and literally give you a wetsuit which you would change into, along with a mask and snorkel. You would swim down these paths, and there were viewing areas under water so people could watch you swimming with the sea life, as if you were in an aquarium. At the end you would get out, peel off the wetsuit and both that and the mask/snorkels would unceremoniously get dumped into a big barrel of disinfectant. It was especially odd because Marineland wasn't a place where you wore a bathing suit (like a modern water park). You would change completely out of full normal street clothes into a wetsuit and fins.

[@kurtwagner350]

What was it like to swim through?

[@Clay3613]

@I OFFER YOU THIS Typhoon Lagoon at Disney has something similar.

[@skip728]

I have the exact same memory! It was all so weird. Fake coral on the bottom and you could swim with actual sharks.

[@dandygirl6]

cool for the beautiful whales who had to swim in a pool of disinfectant xoxoox

[@j.d.e.7416]

I was little, but I was enthralled when I got to do it. The little sharks were so amazing.

[@solosorca]

I’m no sea world fan and how they did it was really dodgy, but at least Corky and Orky got to go to a much bigger tank complex. It’s so depressing seeing how tiny the ones at Marineland were. Corky was pregnant seven times at marineland and of the 4 calves that were born alive none of them lived longer than 47 days. Again, sea world is nowhere near perfect (because keeping dolphins in captivity is not great for the animals involved) but it’s miles better than marineland just in terms of tank size

[@SonicBoone56]

Agreed

[@manuelkong10]

soon after moving them to sea world, one DIED

[@solosorca]

@@manuelkong10 true, but 9 orcas ( the original Orky & Corky, Wanda, Patches and Kenny plus Corky 2’s 4 calves) died at Marineland none of them living more than a couple of years. Corky’s also still alive at SeaWorld too. Again, seaworld is not good, but the size of the tank is much bigger than Marineland offered and they got to live with more orcas.

[@corvus1970]

Yup yup. Sea World is horrible as well, because barring some sort of legitimate rehab need, cetaceans simply should not be kept in captivity. And they sure as hell shouldn't be performing for crowds. That said, the stunt they pulled on Marineland is some seriously underhanded bullshit, and I agree that they bought it planning the whole time to pilfer it's main attractions and then shut it down. What a pack of absolute bastards.

[@jasonschmitt1600]

SeaWorld: "Sorry here's a prison that is extremely inadequate and we are going to upgrade you to a prison that is woefully inadequate. We aren't going to set you free because, well you know...money."

[@CeruleanFilms]

Fun fact: Marineland had a huge impact on the design of Disneyland. The fact that Disneyland has a single entry/exit point (Walt wanted several) was on the advice of Marineland architects Pereira & Luckman, who also designed the original Disneyland Hotel. Pereira's exact quote to Disney was, "If you don't have a single entrance, you don't have a park".

[@Malady]

Sea World tried to rename the Marineland whales Shamu, but there was a huge public out roar and they were forced to revert back. Corky is is the oldest and longest kept captive killer whale.

[@andrewputnam2717]

Yeah she turned 55 this year I think absolutely crazy

[@kylesoler4139]

Lolita might even be older than that. but definitely Corky and Toki/Lolita might be tied for the oldest killer whales under the care of man.

[@andrewputnam2717]

@@kylesoler4139 the story of Lolita is so sad, SeaWorld is by no means a good environment for their orcas but at least they've done the bare minimum and try to give them good lives. Lolita is in a god damn fishbowl it's awful and she's lived for so long it's honestly heartbreaking

[@therealspeedwagon1451]

@@andrewputnam2717 they honestly deserve to be released back into the wild. At the bare minimum be in a large enclosure. In my opinion no animal deserves to be under the chains of man like that. Orcas and dolphins rival humanity in their intelligence and they deserve their own rights, not the right to vote but their own rights nonetheless

[@andrewputnam2717]

@@therealspeedwagon1451 yeah your probably right idk I have really complicated feelings about it. SeaWorld is where my love of marine life came from and 2 years ago I got to see my brothers go through the same experience at SeaWorld. While I believe they should be free, I think SeaWorld has helped raise awareness for marine life, so it's almost a necessary evil.

[@AlexIsModded]

The sick thing about Seaworld is that the reason they closed Marineland wasn't just to take out their competition. They also wanted the orcas. To them these animals are products, nothing more, nothing less.

[@jimmydelaware4323]

What do you think the farmers think of the steers that consist of the hamburgers people eat?

[@Thekitty0706fan]

@@jimmydelaware4323 Two very different things pall. Keeping an animal to raise and become food is one thing. And the conditions they are kept in many times is unacceptable. But Orcas and Dolphins are kept as showpieces, they don't get the negligent treatment for the short year(s) until they're slaughtered but rather are forced to decades of company negligence. I qm glad Seaworld is forbidden to acquire any more cetaceans once the ones they have die. Because then that awful company can go bankrupt.

[@therealspeedwagon1451]

@@Thekitty0706fan not only that but orcas and dolphins are very intelligent. I’d argue they rival humans in intelligence and could possibly deserve dolphin rights. Same thing with elephant and possibly octopuses.

[@adrianbalboa5353]

@@therealspeedwagon1451 Maybe one day their will be a dolphin president and have them replace our favorite action heros in films.

[@kierstynsaoirse]

@@therealspeedwagon1451 I agree!!!

[@larrywt656]

A theme park that I actually visited once when I was a kid. Mid 70s (can't remember what year), but I was about 10 years old visiting cousins in California. I remember the tower vividly. I also remember they were filming an episode of the TV series Emergency (which was one of my favorite shows as a kid) when we were there, so I got to see the cast members. Every now and then I catch reruns of that episode and it brings back memories!

[@EricLinstone]

Saw that very episode a few months back. They had to rescue someone from the sky tower thing.

[@randibgood]

We're they filming an episode where they had to dive and get someone that was stuck in one of the pools/tanks?

[@andrewheld2475]

At least you can still visit 'Station 51' in Carson! It's actually Station 127 on 223rd Street between Wilmington and Alameda. The 'real' Squad 51 is located on the Universal lot and it's a very real, operating fire station. It was formerly Station 60 but was renumbered 51 in 1994. Regarding Marineland, I have great memories of snorkeling in the tank with various fish, rays, and small sharks.

[@exrobowidow1617]

@@andrewheld2475 Last week we visited the Los Angeles County Fire Museum in Bellflower. A substantial part of their current display involves the Emergency TV show.

[@andrewheld2475]

@@exrobowidow1617 They have the original Squad 51 truck on display, don't they?

[@coloradoken3159]

Whenever corporate says "there will be no changes", you can bank on big time changes coming down the pike.

[@marsoelflaco5722]

It's very similar to when someone says, regarding business/contract negotiations, that "it's not about the money"...it's always about the money.✌🏽

[@dwlopez57]

They always forget to include " for the next week or so "

[@Staatus_Quo]

I worked for a very large company that I started with in its infancy. It was very "Mom and pop" up until they stumbled for a couple years. After that, we were bought by a bank while going through restructuring. The bank only changed the logo, and infused some money. A lot remained the same. Then the bank sold the company to a European rival that wanted in the US. That company promised "No changes..." And within half a year, everything had changed except for the logo. They didn't want to lose the branding. They tossed out people all across the nation that were top paid, and replaced them with people not in the industry. They sent the people to their training program, and they were no where near as skilled as who they replaced; but they were a third of the cost. It was awful to see a company that I started with shortly after they opened, become a festering wound of what they were. I luckily survived the initial cuts because there weren't a ton of us in the region I was in. But I left shortly after I saw the people who were coming from the companies "University" coming in my location. It's always about the money.

[@mikehunt8375]

Shut up and get in line for your veecine! Corporate loves you!

[@dallasguy3306]

When that notification dings, I get excited. Another gem, Jake! In 1966, when my sister Pam and I were kids, my mom took us, along with our grandmother, on a cross-country trip from Fort Worth to California, to visit Disneyland. In her 1964 Samoan Coral Thunderbird (power everything). We hit all the stops: Carlsbad Caverns, Painted Desert, Petrified Forest, Las Vegas (including Hoover Dam), and, Marineland!

[@fredlougee2807]

Great story, Dallas Guy. We did a similar drive in '68. Dad had an odd military career. 4 years Navy, 4 years Air Force, then back into the Navy, retired in '81 as an E7 with 21 years service. First two years of his USAF time was in Alaska, next two were at Carswell AFB in Ft Worth. Drive back to Seattle we visited Carlsbad Cavern and the Grand Canyon then through SLC and Boise. His return to the Navy they stationed him on a ship that was home ported in Long Beach, CA so we hit all of the attractions. Disneyland twice a year (my birthday and my sister's), Magic Mountain, Knott's Berry Farm, Japanese Deer Park, and Marineland, which was right up the road from our home in San Pedro.

[@steverascoe7069]

Born and Raised in Manhattan Beach. I went there a lot as a kid in the late 60's through the 70's into early 1980. The place was simply EPIC!!!!

[@AwokenEntertainment]

I didn't think I could hate Sea World more.. I have a restaurant in Palos Verdes for 15 years now and it would have been iconic to have Mainland down the road

[@BehindtheBellsPodcast]

My parents and grandparents have great memories of Marine Land. They would talk about going over there on the weekends and meeting and greeting many of the employees and seeing all the sea life. The Palos Verdes area is gorgeous even if it’s become very boutique high class. It still worth visiting just for the ocean views

[@jamesparson]

And the ocean views too

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

Absolutely can't beat those oven views :)

[@kingquacken]

the best oven view for me is a DiGiorno Pizza cooking.

[@exrobowidow1617]

Worth visiting... if you can find a parking place.

[@surfrescue3232]

Apologies if you’re Jewish.

[@Kwolfx]

I vaguely remember going to Marineland once, but I must have only been six or seven years old at the time. Not to downgrade the despicable actions of the people who ran SeaWorld and only took over Marineland to strip away its best assets, but my fondest memories of Marineland occurred after it was shut down. For close to twenty years after the park closed down, the Marineland parking lot was still open to the public; which allowed Southern California scuba divers in the know, to park next to a short, if somewhat steep, trail that led to one of the better beach diving spots in Southern California. This small rocky beach was fairly well protected, had a nice reef area to explore; and if you were up for a little swim on the surface first, there were two separate shipwrecks you could explore fairly close by. One of those wrecks only myself and one other diver know the location of. The beach area at the bottom of the trail was also used as a filming location for the 1987 Mel Gibson movie, "Lethal Weapon." A trailer was placed on the beach that Gibson's character was supposed to live in. I also once met a man who was acting as a caretaker of the property. His job was to watch out for vandals or anyone who might get injured exploring the property. I was exploring the property, but I had no interest in going inside anything. I was following a longer trail down to the ocean to see if scuba gear could be brought down; probably in rolling carts, to a spot close to the better known shipwreck. After explaining my purpose for being there and when he realized that I wasn't going to vandalize anything, I was able to make an arrangement with him to enter the parking lot well after dark on the first night of Lobster season with some dive friends from my University, to do a night dive, "bug hunt" and private beach party. That was an eerie place to dive at night. Unlike doing a night dive at a place like Laguna Beach; where the coastline is all lit up, when you surfaced at Marineland everything was near pitch black. There was some light on the bluff near parking area, but that was pretty high up and didn't help you see the beach. Fortunately, we all didn't go in the water at the same time so there always people on the beach with flashlights to help guide everyone in. Also, the few lobsters we caught were shorts and had to be released, but we had brought other food to cook and it was a lot of fun.

[@tristanwoodmansee477]

I grew up in Palos Verdes. We used to go to Marine Land all the time. Only 25 min from our house. Used to go to Easter Sunday service there too every year.

[@dhit6277]

Marineland is where Jethro on the Beverly Hillbillies went to join the US Marines. What a funny show.

[@55nimrod55]

I remember that episode! Granny wanted to catch one of them whopper fishes.

[@triciasomogyi5431]

🤣

[@BillGreenAZ]

Is that the episode where he filled out the application and under the field "Sex" he wrote "Oh boy!"?

[@fredlougee2807]

Feeding time, they gave him a bucket of fish to feed the dolphins, he grilled them and ate them.

[@jaytee5692]

Literally the only time Ive ever heard of this theme park. I just watched this episode last month!

[@The_Dudester]

My family went there often 1968-73. In early 73, you saw the end coming. In just a few months time it went from being a theme park to a place with only one pool, with, I think, one or two shows a day. The employee staff quickly dwindled, and those who remained had that "Don't bother me" look on their faces. I remember seeing the park on Beverly Hillbillies, Sea Hunt and a couple of other shows.

[@AlexGetsAroundTO]

I'm a Torontonian like you, and I've never knew there was a Marineland outside of Canada. I went to the one in Niagara Falls over a decade ago when I was a toddler.

[@overlookers]

I'm surprised as you are that Marineland Canada has been allowed to persist this long. I guess when your next-door neighbor is Niagara Falls you're always going to be in business.

[@jennycraigadventures3314]

There’s also a Marine World in the San Francisco Bay Area

[@alexander1485]

So young

[@AleksiDraws]

There is also a marineland still operating in Antibes, France

[@joshm6884]

Ya now they left a dying orca in there for the past 10 year cuz Canada don’t got the budget to move er 🇨🇦🇨🇦👎🏼👎🏼

[@littlem39]

I remember going to this place with my family as a kid. I was convinced I would grow up to study Oceanology and be able to work there or Sea World. Of course, many things changed my opinion about these types of parks as we all found out more about the animals' treatment. But, I can tell you that as a kid, my all time favorite memory was at one of those smaller concrete tanks they had. There were dolphins or porpoises in there and I leaned way over the edge with my chest on the concrete and I took a metal bracelet I was wearing and started clanking it against the wall underwater. The dolphins began to all come over to me. I felt like I was Tarzan or some little girl equivalent. I remember that once people started to notice them coming to me, I got in trouble with my mom for leaning over (she had been preoccupied with my toddler brothers) and for putting my hands in the water. I always dreamed of just releasing them and following them into the ocean. It was an absolutely magical moment for me and I will never forget it!

[@winstonoboogie6725]

That smaller dolphin tank was my favorite part too, where the dolphin flipped me his ball and waited for me to toss it back. A pat on that slippery snout was the best.

[@chrisl5114]

I grew up in southern California and remember going to Marineland as a kid. I also remember going as a teenager after it closed. It was creepy seeing everything abandoned and runned down with graffiti everywhere. I remember climbing down the cliff to the shoreline. There was a cave down there we use to hangout in. Not too long bc it smelled like urine. It was sad seeing the park full of weeds, broken windows, graffiti, and beat up buildings. I enjoyed going as a kid.

[@stephengroton1434]

Thanks. I took my daughter there when we first arrived in CA, shortly before it closed. We loved it and always thought we would go back. Very intimate atmosphere and wonderful rapport between the marine and human life forms. They did a lot of rescue work and I believe their marine population was largely from rescue. Bubbles the Pilot Whale was such a great fellow. He may not have had all the skill sets of the more sophisticated bottle nose dolphins, but he was 2 tons of irrepressible willingness, enthusiasm and amiability... and no one could splash better. He was the perfect representative of the soul of Marineland. Well, the loss of Marineland was just an example of the big fish eating the little fish, I suppose, but we always hope that the better nature of man will overcome the dog-eat-dog side. Oh well.

[@alanr4447a]

The TV series _Sea Hunt_ was very popular when it came out in the late 1950s to the early 60s (and in reruns for a few more years), and it stated in every closing credits that the series was filmed in cooperation with Marineland of the Pacific. As time wore on, though, they used locations in Silver Springs, Florida more than Marineland.

[@SteveCarras]

Hmmm....I remember.,..grew up by there..

[@glenmacleod9607]

I grew up close to Marine Land. My parents took us there several times and it was the thing to do when relatives came to visit. As a kid I never liked seeing animals pent up, and looking back this seems even more cruel as the ocean was right there and they could smell freedom, but never reach it. Once visit we watched as a new whale was lowered by crane into a tank. Minutes later the other whales attacked and killed the young male stranger. How horriying to think of the fear and pain the poor whale suffered. Mankind has much to answer for. Do everything you can to oppose animal cruelty.

[@j.d.e.7416]

One of my most vivid memories was peering through a huge window into this murky green darkness when, all of a sudden, an enormous gaping mouth came straight at the glass. I shrieked and jumped back, not at all sure what I was looking at. My dad laughed and told me it was just a grouper fish.

[@surfrescue3232]

Was it whoopie Goldberg ?

[@UnchartedTravel]

Very swanky video my man 👌🏻

[@raydunakin]

I have vague memories of my family going to Marineland sometime in 1961 or '62. I would have been 6 or 7 at the time, and the main thing I remember was how excited I was that we would get to see whales, thinking they would be humpbacks or sperm whales or something like that. And then my great disappointment when it turned out they were a much, much smaller species.

[@Emerson278]

I went to Marineland a few times as a child back in the 60s. I want to say they called those whales there, "Pilot Whales".

[@raydunakin]

@@Emerson278 Yeah, that's what I recall too. I don't know why the video is calling them orcas.

[@neighborhoodcatlady6094]

I remember going there many times as a child. Many god memories.

[@yzrider3326]

So you wanna see a sperm whale? Look me up..

[@dandygirl6]

yeah why weren't those damn whales bigger!? I prefer huge wild animals trapped in tiny little pools so much cooler!

[@gavindavenport7576]

I've actually really hoped you'd feature this location on this series. I actually go to this peninsula regularly, but not for the resort. The shoreline here continues its marine legacy to this day in a much healthier way as one of the best shore diving sites in Southern California (in my opinion). Every weekend you'll find people suiting up and donning scuba gear to experience the gorgeous kelp forests, great reef structure, and even a submarine pinnacle where a group has placed a memorial rock garden. To this day, most divers call the site "Old Marineland".

[@joybailey2776]

My uncle used to go diving for abalone off the coast, it sure doesn't look anything like it did when I was a kid.

[@PanyingPilot]

Less kelp, more urchins.

[@gavindavenport7576]

@@PanyingPilot The kelp in Socal, particularly in Palos Verdes, is actually doing pretty well right now. Always gotta keep an eye on those pesky purple urchins for sure, though.

[@PanyingPilot]

@@gavindavenport7576 Do you remember when they brought kelp in from Catalina, limed the bottom and tried to reestablish forests of it in the small bays around the peninsula? Those were the days!

[@louisliu5638]

@@joybailey2776 We had abalone shells the width of a dinner plate when we bought out house in LA in 1963. the couple that had owned it were serious rockhounds. those sizes are long gone. in the NW where I am an abalone , now protected is likely to be less than four inches across.

[@TBlanktim]

Thanks for doing this story. I had never heard of the Terranea resort. I do remember the original Marineland. As a kid in the early 60's, I had the ever loving sh** scared out of me there. Standing on a ladder looking through a window of the big tank, a grouper larger than me came right right at me with its mouth open. Dropped my Cracker Jacks and everything. I knew it was vacant for many years. Its a shame we lost that and POP (Pacific Ocean Park) in Santa Monica. Good memories of both places. Also, the filming of Sea Hunt with my hero Mike Nelson (Lloyd Bridges) at Marineland. Another touchstone of our past paved over by development.

[@forestmcneir3325]

We made the road trip from Houston to LA in 1957. Went to Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm & Marineland of the Pacific. Sad to see that Marineland is gone.

[@marciej5861]

I remember my mother taking me and my brother there -- in the late 1960s maybe. Such simple fun. I loved what you said, Jake, about Marineland being a product of the era it was from. It was an enjoyable place to visit in its time and it brings back memories of the innocence of childhood. Now, in this complicated and tech-oriented SoCal of the 21st century, such a place could not exist. Great video!

[@thisismysea]

Calling the place a product of its era is about how poorly animals were treated there and how that wouldn't work anymore, not about technology.

[@DannyDevitoOffical-TrustMeBro]

@@thisismysea it…kind of is though. Technology being much more limited when marine land was first constructed versus now has a lot to do with how it treated its animals. Not much was known about them then, especially compared to today. I doubt the people in charge really knew that they were doing the animals so much harm. It wasn’t okay then anymore than it is now, but at least we know that now. So yea, marine land was a product of its time.

[@awesomeferret]

I really appreciate the high quality scans of old photos that you have and the fact that you don't use any goofy old time filters for no reason like some popular history channels. Photos should be shown as-is when talking about history (upscaling excluded of course).

[@miked6335]

My uncle was on the Palos Verdes City Council and got my brother and I permission from the Terranea owner/developer to roam around the ruins. Pretty neat but also sad. I had been there a few times over the years. I should add we were probably in our fifties so were not threats to do anything too crazy. The 50's TV show Sea Hunt with Lloyd Bridges did a lot of filming there. During the end credits of the show while his boat bobs up and down in the water, in the background you can see how Palos Verdes looked before it was developed. Between the time of the destruction of Marineland and the building of Terranea, the property was used by a few movies. The fort in the original 'Pirates of the Caribbean' was built there. The owner gave the City Council a tour of the fort and we were lucky enough to be be visiting. This led to us going down to San Pedro and getting into the pirate ship's interior set (in the Spruce Goose building) and aboard the real ship used for filming docked in San Pedro . We also got to see a set for 'The Aviator' which consisted of a "burning" house (it was fireproof ) which depicted Howard Hughes' crash up near Beverly Hills. I believe a helicopter scene from 'Charlie's Angels' was also filmed there. Finally, I believe the Orca statues from Marineland now reside in the Nike missile silos on the Palos Verdes City Hall property (yes, I saw them too).

[@seminolefantodd4736]

The Quinn Martin produced show, "The Invaders" filmed an episode titled, "Genesis" there, too.

[@fontainejmarsi9233]

That’s why they named one of the restaurants at Terranea “Nelson‘s”, after his character

[@Gzopete]

Great memories!! My dad had a magic store there. I remember having run of the park before it opened many many mornings. Visiting the dolphins without park staff. Just a very special place. Thank you for wonderful video.

[@PatrickWagz]

awesome comment and treasured memories!! thanks for sharing.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thanks for watching

[@efromhb]

I remember that!

[@ManOfLore1]

I got inside Marineland almost a decade before they tore it down. I was filming for a school project and one of the people in my group (through her father) received permission to let us film inside Marineland. It was definitely strange, because just about everything was still there. Even the animal enclosures. I'm glad I had the opportunity to look around inside before it was torn down.

[@PrinceProductions]

Have ever shared the school project youtube?

[@ashmoleproductions5407]

I remember exploring marinelands ruins as a kid. Very interesting place. The Auditorium was open through one of the side doors and the walk through reef was interesting. Though it did have a massive beehive in it.

[@KatStudios]

The Corky that was moved to SeaWorld in 1987 is actually still alive. She's the second Corky (after the first one died at Marineland in 1970) and had 6/7 calves at Marineland. The longest one, named Kiva, lived just over 40 days..

[@cwdefouw]

Great video! Another interesting fact about the Marineland property is that the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie had most of their fort and city sets on the site. They used to be able to been seen on Google Earth in satellite shots from that era.

[@LONISMO1]

And 2005 film Fun with Dick and Jane...they built/filmed the suburban neighborhood scenes there...

[@BrightSunFilms]

No way!!

[@jpaulc441]

8:08 A bomb threat at a sea park? Was it a depth charge? Sea mine?

[@BrightSunFilms]

Underrated comment

[@dwlopez57]

Sea 4

[@tomfitzsimmons6535]

I grew up very nearby in San Pedro. We visited a few times a year, so this was very sad to see. You did a great job, though. Thank you.

[@fredlougee2807]

I lived there when I was a kid. K - 3rd at Point Fermin, 4th and 5th at Taper Ave. Marineland was one of our regular destinations. Thankfully we left before Hannah-Barbera took over the park.

[@tomfitzsimmons6535]

@@fredlougee2807 We lived on 30th St about a quarter mile from Gaffey. walking distance to Pt. Fermin, until 1964.

[@valeriegoode9762]

Great segment. I visited there as a child. I remember reading a LA Times article on the closing of Marineland. It was hard to believe that such a beautiful theme park could close. Never knew that Sea World had a hand in it.

[@jeffwatkins352]

Fascinating! My grandmother lived in Corona, where my mother grew up. We'd visit So. Cal. every summer and I vividly remember our trips to Marineland as a kid. I was also at Disneyland the year it opened (1955). Of course, I was only 3 so I don't remember that as fondly as I do Marineland, which I first visited in the late 50s. As an ADHD kid, I loved running up and down those slanted walkways bordering the tanks. Sadly, as kids do, I lost interest once in my teens. But this documentary brings back lots of memories along with giving a history of what finally happened to the attraction. Quite a story! Many thanks.

[@tjvanderyacht9806]

I’m so stoked that you past 1M subs, I’ve been here since ~15k and you’ve grown so much as a content creator since. This internet stranger (me) is very proud of you!!

[@Noble909]

Thanks for another video! If I may suggest, investigate Pharoah's Lost Kingdom for your next abandoned episode. It was a real icon of the inland empire with a long history and slow demise. I think there was also some scandals such as insurance fraud and illegal parties. I'd love to see what you dig up as I think a lot of us don't even have a complete picture.

[@swanofnutella4734]

As a kid, my family attended a number of times in the 80s. It's demise right around the corner was not evident. They had crowds. They had a ton of fun, diverse attractions, not just the big tanks. The facilities were in good shape and I look back at it with fond nostalgia regarding the then-fresh 80s-ness of it all. It was a boon to Los Angeles culture and to a kid's experience. It's a sad thing that it no longer provides that.

[@lockrobster7928]

I remember back in 1994 when we just arrived in this country, My dad took us to Palos Verses to The Glass Church and out in the distance we could see the Observation Tower. Real shame what happened to Marineland. I know an episode of 'The A-Team' was shot here. And I heard that the abandoned facilities were used for the series 'The Pretender' before they were demolished.

[@getintothewildwithjeffruma8777]

I was born in 1981 in Los Angeles California. I remember visiting this park many times as a kid along with going to sea world too. It was sad when it closed down. I was told it was closed because the land was worth more if used for luxury homes. The area is some of the most expensive real estate on the west cost. I’ll have to show this video to my mother. Thanks for the video and the journey down memory lane.

[@tracytre38]

If you were born in 81, how do you remember it??

[@surfrescue3232]

Must have been glorious to live in LA back then. Before certain tribes moved in .

[@JohnJohnson-he1yv]

I grew up in MB and visited Marineland multiple times a year. It had a serious marine biology research group and spent much of its resource on saving stranded animals. It became more of a theme park over the years, but NEVER lost its focus on caring for animals and educating the public. This was always in stark contrast to Sea World which NEVER put animals first. Marineland was the reason I attending a UC school to study Marine biology. I now live in CT and there is a similarly established aquarium in Mystic. It also is focused on education and rehabilitation. The tragic story not told in the video was the demise of the dolphins and Bubbles, the pilot whale mascot, that were transferred to Sea World and put into tanks with other aggressive animals even though Marineland handlers STRONGLY warned of the immediate risk to their transferred animals. All those animals died within weeks of being transferred, suffering attacks from the Sea World animals. Sea World is a disgusting corporate entity that should be banned and shuttered.

[@earthghoul]

I can't believe you're saying Marineland was more ethical than SeaWorld, an actual AZA accredited facility! SeaWorld's rescue team rescues and releases hundreds of animals a year. Their veterinarians are well-trained and know how to work with these marine animals. Marineland had tiny tanks and live caught animals, who weren't thriving at all. Bimbo the pilot whale quite literally "went insane" in his tank, bashing his head into the walls and acting aggressive towards the other dolphins. He was released because of how awful his behavior was. I quite literally blame Marineland of the Pacific for the rise of wild-caught whales and dolphins. SeaWorld has their flaws, they used to capture their animals, but they haven't done that in decades. Their dolphin habitats are very beautiful (say, except for the dolphin nursery...). But, their killer whale habitats do still feel outdated... PETA didn't let SeaWorld San Diego expand their enclosure back in 2018 for whatever reason. Thankfully, cetacean captivity has come a long way thanks to SeaWorld and other accredited aquariums. Their dolphins and whales are never coerced into performing, unlike marine parks like Miami Seaquarium or Marineland Canada that starve their dolphins and whales to perform. SeaWorld has well fed and big, healthy animals. Does SeaWorld need to stop spending their money on their coasters? Of course. They should be using their money for their animals, ESPECIALLY the ones that brought them such success. I absolutely despise the fact that the company chooses to ignore their best attractions, their living breathing animals, and choose to focus on their mediocre rides instead. The company? Not the best. But the vets and trainers that work at SeaWorld? They are giving those animals the best lives that they can. I'm sure the Marineland trainers loved those animals too, but back then, they had no clue what they were doing keeping highly intelligent animals in fish tanks.

[@AderitetheOreWing]

@@earthghoul Bruh. You should watch Blackfish. Good doc.

[@pandoranbias1622]

I've been to my cousin's home on the Palos Verdes peninsula more times than I can count and I still didn't know this existed after driving over (what I thought was) every inch of that peninsula. Really a beautiful place, guess I have more exploring to do.

[@datoneslav6902]

I lived near the peninsula for years, been in palos verdes many times, and I had no idea this place ever existed

[@aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaandy]

My mom used to tell me about this place all the time when she was driving me to school. It's crazy to me to see it come up on this channel and hearing its full story for the first time really puts it in perspective when all I got was stories as a kid. Thank you for this video!

[@angellacanfora]

My grandfather's concrete cutting company landed a contract to work on Marineland during its construction. He was proud to have had a hand in its creation, said that was one of his biggest jobs. I have a great photo of him and my uncle hard at work in a dry shark tank!

[@kathryncoffey8961]

As far as compliments go, “the most beautiful piece of real estate I’ve ever covered” is quite the high praise

[@Blazing_Glory]

How did you comment 3 days ago?

[@kathryncoffey8961]

@@Blazing_Glory Patreon perks. See the vid early, so I can comment early

[@vincelamb4063]

@@kathryncoffey8961 Is that the reason I currently see 974 likes with only 90 views?

[@laurasoeten9976]

I lived in San Pedro and As a kid I loved going to marineland! The underwater viewing of the orcas was very cool. As I got older I realized how small the tanks were compared to its inhabitants needs. The last time we went I was probably in high school and there was a dolphin mom and baby in one of those small pools. It was so sad.

[@toptenextreme]

This is an amazing and really informative video on the history of Marineland. Its really sad to see once lively and successful places fall into so much decay within a few decades of each other. It really would be amazing if you could make a video on Seaworld Ohio that closed in 2000. Thanks for making these amazing videos to shed light on the things of the past but also update us on these places currently.

[@laurawinters1151]

Such an interesting story, Jake! Reminds me so much of what happened to Geauga Lake when Cedar Fair took over. Except this seems to be even more of an obvious move to get rid of the competition!

[@KMACKTIME]

Looks like tony starks house on the cliff side

[@Loremastrful]

Stark prefers Malibu 20 mi up the coast from RPV

[@billthacet]

When I grew up I visited Marineland many times, and even got to swim through Baja Reef. (And my date and I ended up rescuing a fellow patron who had a medical issue.) Likely the real reason Sea World bought and closed it down was so they could acquire the two orcas, a few years earlier, it had become illegal for them to be taken in the wild, and to them this was a cash effective way around the restriction.

[@csviolin0516]

Thank you for posting this!! I visited Marineland as a young child in the late 1970’s and have some very early memories from that trip, and these photos help to to remember a little bit more. I remember being fascinated by everything there. Such a shame that it is not there anymore. Thank you for the memories, it means a lot!

[@troychristman5662]

As someone who grew up in North East Florida, and visited the original Marineland as a child (before it became the quasi-research facility it is now), I'd love to see you do a video on it! It was never 'abandoned,' per se, but has definitely changed much, even in my 30+ years. Love your videos!

[@ImAlwaysFrisky]

I love seeing people share memories of places you cover, makes me & I’m sure others wish for whatever reason that we had been able to visit at least one time before the locations were left to rot.

[@brians9072]

Great piece on So Cal history. I went to Marineland as a child and have stayed at Terranea as an adult. The new property is beautiful and the service was exceptional. This section of the LA area is like a different world.

[@alhollywood6486]

I grew up on the Hill,and graduated high school in 87, right after Marineland closed. I had lots of friends who worked there, and I went many, many times. Now I just hang out at Nelson's at Terranea!😂

[@Truckngirl]

I went there as a four year old in 1962. My memories are limited to how big it was, and being splashed.

[@christinasornbutnark1208]

I love this place on my 16th birthday 1986 I went for the last time with my girl friends; the same girl friends that used to hang out & drink beers in Marine Lands ruins. We knew it was shutting down & I was the only one willing to swim in Baja Reef it was a blast.

[@Leahi84]

There's also a Marineland near St. Augustine, Florida, where I grew up. I went there a lot as a child. Its owned by the Georgia Aquarium. They are focused on Dolphin rehabilitation these days.

[@tylorwetmore]

Jake you put together my love of travel and nostalgia so well together in your videos, thank you for your time and effort!

[@funfact8660]

We used to sneak into Marineland from the coastal cliff's, when I used to live in Palos Verdes 🌊🏄🌊🏖️🦹

[@dt81819]

My parents took us to Marineland in 1966. My only memory of the place are the dolphins and the beautiful scenery. If I remember correctly, a Partridge Family episode was filmed there too.

[@samanthasnapp5514]

You're script writing is amazing! I can't imagine how much time you put into your work! Thank you for the great content!

[@ttopero]

Thank you for covering this. I visited several times in 80’s & always felt it played second fiddle to Sea World but I don’t get why both couldn’t coexist, as even Disneyland & Knott’s Berry Farm do in Anaheim. It certainly showed it’s age, as much as it’s era the last decade, as a relic of the artificial era where little authenticity was made, synthetic materials used & no relationship with the sea.

[@BestlifeandBeyondofficial]

Went there as a kid in the 70s and 80s. Swam in Baja Reef. Then in the late 90s, I think it was 1997, I was working on an MTV show called Singled Out that went there to shoot outdoor episodes at what would become MTVs Beach House for that summer. They had converted one of the remaining structures (the 2 circular shaped structures on the cliff) into a "retro motel" set complete with a temporary pool. if you look up Singled Out 1997, those outdoor episodes are available to watch. While there for a few weeks, I was able to explore the remains of Marineland on lunch breaks where I found the old Baja Reef remnants.Very bizarre to see it in its demise, drained and vandalized because I had experienced it as a kid when it was in full operation, full of water and sea life. I walked through the bottom of the whole thing. I very much regret not taking photos of that as well as the entire site as it was in its final stages of existence. All I have are the memories. Thank you so much for the great video and information.

[@kenfigured6956]

Thanks for doing a story on it. I went there a lot when I was a kid and teen but it always seemed if you were not a local you never heard of it. I loved that place especially Baja reef. In 2000 I walked through what was left of it. It was so sad especially walking through Baja reel now drained for more then a decade and covered with graffiti and broken glass. Thanks again, this was a treasured childhood memory.

[@No-nu8zx]

Don’t know about the other marine mammals but One of their orca’s Corky is actually still alive at seaworld

[@Wendish1971]

I remember visiting when it was Hanna Barbera's Marineland in 1980. There was something about sitting in those open air theaters right on the Pacific coast.

[@JoshuaBanker74]

This was special for my family. Thank you! My brother and I used to spend a week each summer with my grandparents who lived on the peninsula. We were there in 1986 and had no clue that it was closing soon. I had wondered what happened to it but never looked into why it closed down. Thank you!

[@Slonge92]

My first trip to Marineland was in 1958, when I was 2. I remember going to Marineland, Disneyland, and Knotts Berry Farm every year through the 1960s and early 1970s. We took a drive to San Diego to visit Sea World the year it opened. Marineland was better. Two big losses for the South Bay were Marineland and POP (Pacific Ocean Park).

[@TheGuardy]

4:33 - YOOOO! This is a screencap from Emergency!, a TV show about the first-ever paramedics in LA County! This specific episode is s6e15 Breakdown; it aired in early 1977, so this would've been filmed in 1976, I think. I am _ridiculously excited_ to stumble about my all-time favorite piece of media on here of all places, lol. Anyway, check out the show if you're interested in old media, folks, it is really, _really_ good. (update: alright, noticed that I'm not the only one geeking out about that E! screencap here, lol - but hey, you don't stumble about that in the wild very often)

[@ericaruiz9192]

The current view looked very familiar to me, turns out there was a very nice wedding weekend here two weeks ago. I wish I knew it’s history then. Great video.

[@frankdenardo8684]

I saw this on a Beverly Hillbillies episode. The Clampett's visited the place and they wanted to see Marines there. Aired on November 4th, 1964. Chevrolet did a photoshoot of cars at the facilities and was also used in many movies and TV shows. There is a Marine land still in Florida.

[@rexoliver7780]

Remember visiting Marineland of the Pacific in the early 60's-Loved going thru the place and watching the shows.

[@DzrtClaws]

Yes!!! Never thought I would see this one covered. My older brother went there a lot as a kid. 💖

[@jgatzby4263]

I remember going once as a kid year’s ago and begging my dad to let me swim in Baja Reef. I remember him saying ‘you can when your older.’ No such luck, the park closed before we ever got another visit.

[@kmath50]

I remember going there as a kid in the early 1960's. It was nice because it was closer to us compared to SeaWorld.

[@micheleproctor3433]

I love your videos and abandon series! I just can’t pull myself to watch this video since most marine parks I can’t stand to see. But thank you for your videos you put out, they bring happiness to my soul.

[@skandarc2810]

A winner! Very nice episode. It’s crazy that I didn’t even know about this place, very educational. You’re like the David Attenborough of abandoned/exploration Jake haha.

[@sunshine3914]

From the comments there’s people who have lived there & never knew of its existence.

[@abp1400]

Sea World literally stole these guys' schtick, including the sky tower!

[@sherimcdaniel3491]

Once again, my rascally locator of all things kaput, you managed to find a location I have never heard of. When you started talking about it, I remembered (or maybe I’ve heard them talk about it over the years and so it “feels” like a memory) my mom and grandma talking about the place! There was a family trip to California for a destination vacation and I believe we ended up in Disneyland, but this place was a possibility first. Too bad we didn’t get there. Thanks for the stellar reporting, as always!! Well done, my friend.

[@RobZillaAK]

Excellent video. I remember going to Marineland as a kid in the 70"s. During the early 90's I was friends with a guy named Allen G. that lived on the property. We filmed a bunch of movies during that time. Hot Shots, Clear and Present Danger, Code Name Alexa and many others. A few times we would chase out kids that would trespass on the property at night and vandalize stuff. Good times, good memories. I need to dig up my photos from those days.

[@steveconaway774]

I knew Al Gerbino too. Good guy. I’m guessing you saw his helicopter there too.

[@ZooomaCW]

Interesting stuff. Amazing how land can change over time, going from a place like Marineland to a resort that you'd never know what was once constructed there.

[@edogthebeast1755]

Yo i was literally stalking your channel and refreshed and you just posted

[@traxiii]

Growing up in So Cal in the '60s-'70s I loved Marineland and went there almost every year as a kid, and loved "Bubbles" the Pilot Whale. The tanks were way too small, but for the day were pretty huge. The Beverly Hillbillies Marineland episode is one of the all-time greats! For those who don't know or remember, Jethro went there to join the Marine Corps.

[@FaithFacts]

Seems like it was such a beautiful place to visit. So sad that it was abandoned

[@iowndvc]

I remember all the cool "Mold-A-Rama" machines at Marineland. I still collect those today, as our local zoo has 8 original machines, and they change out the molds seasonally. It so sad to see what happened to Marineland, the large aquarium tanks were awesome, as was the boat ride along the shore cliffs and caves.

[@abimottram9091]

Brilliant video as always (I always prefer your longer videos but this one just had something about it) ✨

[@IslandMarigold]

Thank you so much for making such a lovely video of a place I love so much, but have never had the opportunity to experience. RIP Marineland. The world is forever indebted to you for your contributions to marine life research.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thanks for watching!

[@brianc803]

So awesome you did a video on this! Great work and research. Thanks for sharing and making a video on it!

[@FugitiveK2]

Great job! I grew up in Palos Verdes and was in my teens when the Park closed. Something important that wasn't mentioned. Why did SeaWorld want the killer whales? They had their own. It was because Orky and Corky were the only breeding killer whales in captivity. This led to quite a few other problems for SeaWorld.

[@mavwrik4605]

Your video just popped up in my recommended. It drug up old memories I had suppressed. I owned & operated a Marine Animal Collection company in the late 70's to mid 80's. Marineland was a client. I sold Marine (cold water fish & invertebrates) to fish wholesalers, The Cousteau Living Seas on the Queen Mary, and Marineland. My company stocked the Baja Reef attraction. We stocked bottom sharks & a big grouper in it. These are sad memories for me. The aholes that purchased Marineland in order to destroy it caused my company to go bankrupt. Sea World has their own dive staff for collection, The Queen Mary aquarium closed when Cousteau pulled out & Marineland was the deathblow. I regularly stocked the small tanks & tide pools with fish, invertebrates & requests like octopus. I even donated the only known (at the time) Albino Garibaldi to Marineland. I did get to swim in the big oval tank with the largest Sawfish in captivity while cleaning the windows from inside the tank. All dead & gone. I was going to make my weekly delivery & when I arrived the park was shuttered, fenced off, & all without any notification to vendors OR employees. They whisked away what they could in the middle of the night & destroyed the rest. As a side note most of Marineland's history was sans Orcas. They didn't appear until it's later years. They started out & for many years with Pilot Whales who are native to the SoCal waters. They had a false killer whale that mated with a pilot whale. When the Orcas did arrive they attempted to breed them, although a few calves were born none lived for very long. Marineland was the 1st park to have a live Orca birth in captivity. One of the Orcas was pregnant when moved to Sea World where she later had a miscarriage. Sea World's breeding program was not working well & their bull died. I will bet they paid a pretty penny for the Marineland mammals.

[@debinvenice]

I still have a beach towel featuring Bubbles the Pilot Whale from the late 60s. I snorkled in Baja Reef with baby sharks in the late 70s. Memories. Thanks for the look back!

[@DaimyoD0]

Please cover Miami Marine Stadium!

[@Ben-cd6xu]

This is literally one of the best shows on youtube keep up the good work!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thanks!

[@Ben-cd6xu]

@@BrightSunFilms ofc