SeaWorld Orlando already stands out from the theme park crowd in Orlando because you can get face to face with some of the coolest undersea creatures in the world. But SeaWorld Orlando ups the ante by providing three great opportunities to actually interact with the animals and feed them.

There are three different animals to feed at SeaWorld: Rays, sharks, and sea lions. All of the experiences are similarly priced, but they are each unique. If you’re looking to add a little fun to your SeaWorld trip, here’s the lowdown on how you can feed the animals.

Feeding the Rays

Ray feeding is only five dollars for a tray of four fish. You purchase the fish at the desk located near the back of the ray tank. Feeding the rays their snacks requires you to get a little wet. You aren’t going to be swimming with the rays or anything, but the best way to feed them requires you to put your entire arm in the water.

A ray’s mouth is located on the bottom of his body, so you have to put the fish at the very bottom of the tank for the ray to eat it. You do this by holding the fish in between two of your fingers and waiting for a ray to come and suck the fish out like a vacuum. You don’t have to worry about getting bit because rays don’t have teeth.

The rays are quite used to being fed by people, so as soon as you put your hand in the water be prepared to be immediately hounded by a group of our finned friends. Make sure you pet them as they swim by as well!

Speaking of petting the rays, knowing how quickly they respond to a hand in the water is a quick and easy way to get them to come to you. Simply stick your hand all the way to the bottom of the tank and pet them as they rush by you.

Feeding the Sharks

Unfortunately, the heading makes this experience sound way more fun and cool than it is. Shark feeding takes place at the shark and ray tank located outside Sharks Underwater Grill. It’s five dollars for a tray of food and the kiosk is located at the beginning of the exhibit.

Unlike the ray tank which is about waist level and gives you the opportunity to pet the rays as they swim by, the sharks you’re feeding are swimming underneath you as you stand on a bridge. This means you aren’t so much feeding the sharks as you are blindly throwing fish into a pool in the hopes one of them scarfs it up.

As far as feedings go, this one is pretty disappointing, and your money is better spent elsewhere.

Feeding the Sea Lions

We go from the worst of the three feeding experiences to the best. Sea lion and seal feeding is fun, interactive and hilarious. The sea lions have their own little cove where they swim and sunbathe, and this is where the feeding takes place as well. Just like the other experiences, trays are five dollars for four fish.

Just like the rays knew to flock to a hand in the water, the sea lions know to pay attention to the person holding the tray. They also know people love it when they bark and make noise. It’s so funny to see the sea lions barking and waddling and pushing each other around just to catch a little fish. You don’t even have to buy a tray of fish to be entertained by them. It’s easy to spend half your day watching these guys bark and dive around.

Feeding the sea lions is the most fun you can have at a feeding experience, but it’s also the most difficult. Other than the sea lions and harbor seals, this is also where the birds hang out. These winged thieves will not hesitate to pick the fish right out of the air as you throw it, they’ll also get super close to you even as you’re standing and watching the sea lions play.

It seems daring, but our best advice for dealing with the birds is to just swat them away like the pests they are. In all the years of going to SeaWorld, we’ve yet to get bit or pecked at or anything doing this. They just flap away.

The Verdict

You’re doing yourself a disservice if you go to SeaWorld and don’t take full advantage of interacting with the animals who live there. Feeding the animals may sound simple, but it’s a really unique experience you can’t find anywhere else in Orlando. Don’t feel that you have to do all three experiences, but going home knowing you’ve made a little harbor seal’s day by giving him a little fish is a pretty fun feeling.