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The Most INSANE Theme Park EVER: Marine World Africa USA

Theme Park Crazy

178,901 views

Before it became Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Marine World Africa USA was perhaps the ultimate animal theme park. Boat safaris, water slides, water skiing elephants, a unicorn, and more!

Long before the roller coasters, this arguably dangerous theme park had stories of a San Francisco 49ers player and even more. You could say it's a west coast action park.

0:00 Intro
0:38 An Idea
1:50 Construction Begins
2:42 Marine World
4:38 Judy the Waterskiing Elephant
5:13 Attendance Drops
6:38 Africa USA
7:55 Marine World Africa USA
10:41 Animal/Safety Concerns
13:27 The Park Grows
14:00 New Competition
15:43 Interesting Stories
17:05 Whale of a Time World
19:30 Park in Trouble
20:32 Tiger Mountain Rapids
23:04 Campeau Corp
23:50 The Unicorn
25:49 Save Marine World
27:33 Randy Cross Incident
29:06 A New Location
32:52 Moving to Vallejo
33:56 Reopening
34:54 Pep Rally Tiger Incident
35:58 New Attractions
40:26 The Decline
43:05 Cougar Mauling
43:29 Debt
44:07 A New Operator
47:00 Roller Coasters
48:16 Tiger Mauling
49:40 The Park Changes
50:02 The Six Flags Era
52:50 The Park Today
53:59 Outro

Medusa thumbnail image by Tinned Elk

Tiger attack (WARNING: UPSETTING): https://imgur.com/gallery/IdgygAp

Music:

You're Fake (Instrumental Version) - Zorro
Whut Ya Sayin' - Booker and the Yeomans
Getaway Rock (60s Pop Version) - Elliot Holmes
Don't Bother Brother - Jerry Lacey
Turtle Beach - Oakwood Station
Afternoon Sun - Sahara Skylight
Below Thunder - Wendel Scherer
Souvenirs From Africa - Sight of Wonders
Serat - Much Lesdds Sense
Safari Trails - Sahara Skylight
Bad Hair - Wanda Shakes
Hide and Sneak - The Fly Guy Five
Seatbelt On - Brightarm Orchestra
Looking Over Your Shoulder - Stationary Sign
Low Boogie - Dime Deep
Like That I Guess - Stationary Sign
Oudstock - Yinon Muallem
I Will Be Waiting (Instrumental Version) - Cacti
Sneaky Business - J.R. Productions
The Friendly Ghost - Arthur Benson
Strange Clouds - Sarah, the Illstrumentalist
Always a Party - Ryan James Carr
Your Touch (Instrumental Version) - Particle House
Me vs Me - Jharee
How Many Times (Instrumental Version) - Fox Drop
He's Taking Over (Instrumental Version) - Birgersson Lundberg
Habanero - Timothy Infinite
Say It (Instrumental Version) - Elijah N
Mario Bava Sleeps In a Little Later Than He Expected To - Chris Zabriskie
On Division Multiplying (Instrumental Version) - Xavy Rusan

20 Comments

@slycooperscane 2 years ago

Can we talk about that fact that a high schooler was bite by a tiger and they sent him back to class that same day

@mattskustomkreations 1 year ago

Moving the animals on an “Ark”, is pure marketing genius.

@Echiewel 2 years ago

A tiger on a leash sounds just about as safe as a tiger off a leash. You're not going to hold a charging tiger.

@rae17 2 years ago

watching this the main thing that stands out to me is Demetrius’ love for the park. this was truly his baby and he did everything to try and make it succeed. I have a lot of respect for his dedication

@edob1970 2 years ago

Wow… this brought back memories. In 1981, my parents brought my brother and I to the park. I fell off the zip line and hit the tarpaulin hard and lay there with concussion. I was rushed to hospital (3 days before we due to return to England). The park stayed in contact with my parents throughout and offered us free tickets to go back. I recovered and we returned and had the full VIP treatment. The highlight was being taken backstage. The head keeper brought out their largest tiger Naji. I remember this gigantic creature bounding towards us before lying down and rolling over so she could have belly rubbed. When she was done, she stood up and promptly p1ssed all over my brother. The park and the head keeper stayed in contact with me for years afterwards. I loved receiving the long handwritten letters and photo updates of Naji. Marineworld Africa USA was something else. Thank you so much for yet another wonderful video.

@Thelightning1out 2 years ago (edited)

I got to experience the water slide that you ride down with multiple people, bumped into someone once, me and that person were laughing so hard, we became best friends after that

@jwhite5008 2 years ago

- Can I pet the tiger?
- Do you want to die?

Seriously though, tigers are a clever but rowdy bunch. Don't ever try to pet them - they certainly don't appreciate it (unless it's from a trained animal handler who they know and trust)

@caucasoidape8838 2 years ago

The mountain lions were excited to have him back. LOL

@Rorydoesntcare 2 years ago

This is my local six flags. I remember when it was marine world and it was an interesting park to say the least. Some of the things on this video made me realize that some of my memories were real and not just fever dreams lol.

@motivatedchange 2 years ago

As a Bay Area native in my early 40’s, this video brought back a lot of memories of going to the park in Vallejo as a kid. I remember that blue whale playground, I remember when some of those exhibits opened (like the shark experience), the roller coaster announcements making the news, and the general panic that happened when Six Flags bought the park as a lot of people thought it meant the park would be shut down. I also have vague memories of seeing that 25 anniversary commercial you showed on tv.

This was a really fun watch.

@rgs8970 2 years ago

For all their faults, I'm impressed that none of Marine World's incidents led to euthenization of any wild animals! (I mean, I'm also happy the human beings survived, of course, but the animals weren't the ones initiating contact, after all.) Really great overview of the park! I'm glad I found your channel!

@behindthespotlight7983 2 years ago

I grew up with Marine World in its original Redwood City location. The place was equally cool and by todays standards woefully inadequate for the animals. But make no mistake: the staff truly loved the animals and the treatment was all love. It’s just that the 1970’s-early 80’s were a different time

@DylanTindall1 2 years ago (edited)

The fact that they used to let the public get up close and pet wild animals is mind blowing. I bet if they did this now, they would probably get shut down by officials.

@jeanineluedemann4049 1 year ago

I grew up in Redwood City. I remember them walking the big cats through the park and you could pet them if you wanted. Here's a fun story...the wife of one of the dolphin trainers worked for my dad's company (I worked there too). Her husband arranged for one of the tigers to come visit my dad's company. He jumped up onto the conference room table and cracked it! This was in the mid 70's. We also got VIP treatment when we would go to the park and got to go behind the scenes and get up close with the dolphins. I remember staying after the show and getting to pet them.

@ekojar3047 2 years ago

You weren't lying. This is the most insane park and story i have ever heard in my life!

@machinesofgod 2 years ago

I definitely remember this place as a kid in the early 1990s. I had my birthday party there one year. They allowed me to go in the back area and pet a full grown tiger, its head was bigger than me. No way that happens in this day and age, there's simply too much liability. Great park for the time and I hope any surviving animals (if any) are living better lives.

@Space_LordMF 2 years ago (edited)

Omg I saw the "unicorn" at the Ringling Bros show as a child. I still have the program magazine my mom bought me, it comes with a fold out poster of the unicorn. I should get that framed and put it in my bathroom 😅

@slopper 2 years ago (edited)

Wow this was so cool! I grew up and still live in Redwood City less than a mile from where the theme park was. The main street is still called "Marine World Parkway". The area is now all tech/biotech companies. Sadly, our remaining theme park, Great America in Santa Clara, is facing the same fate and will also close within the next handful of years.