When guests arrived at Aquatica Orlando yesterday expecting a splashy summer day, they were met with an abrupt change in plans: the entire park was apparently evacuated.
The sudden closure wasn’t due to weather or a mechanical failure. And for those who were paying attention, it felt eerily familiar. Exactly a year prior, the park made headlines for a similar shutdown—this one sparked by a crowd of unruly teens and a massive brawl.
The 2024 incident was described as a teen takeover and prompted a full police response. Videos of fights breaking out at the park spread rapidly online. Yesterday’s event followed a nearly identical pattern.
Social Media Reports on Teen Takeover at Aquatica
On TikTok, users reported a second “takeover” in progress. “A bunch of teens showed up to Aquatica yesterday (6/12) to ‘takeover’ the park and the park ended up shutting down early due to reaching capacity and kicked everyone out,” one post read. “SeaWorld handled this well! 🙌”
Though this time no confirmed reports of violence have emerged, the result was still the same: full evacuation. “The park ended up shutting down early due to reaching capacity,” one user said. Another noted that they turned around and headed to Universal’s Volcano Bay (which has also experienced guest drama in the past) instead.
I guess the teen meetup takeovers from last year are back…
A bunch of teens showed up to Aquatica yesterday (6/12) to “takeover” the park and the park ended up shutting down early due to reaching capacity and kicked everyone out
SeaWorld handled this well! 🙌
I guess the teen meetup takeovers from last year are back…
A bunch of teens showed up to Aquatica yesterday (6/12) to "takeover" the park and the park ended up shutting down early due to reaching capacity and kicked everyone out
SeaWorld handled this well! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/IZThrOwX3t
— Ethan Hershaft (@EthanHershaft) June 13, 2025
Whether or not the day included the same level of disorder as 2024, the repeat closure has revived concerns about how SeaWorld manages large crowds, particularly when those crowds are galvanized by social media.
A Pattern of Disruption
Aquatica Orlando isn’t the only SeaWorld property to have had to contend with behavioral issues. In early 2024, a video posted by TikTok user @tasnimalatout captured a group of teens harassing a performer—referred to as “Tom the Mime”—at SeaWorld Orlando.
“After a female teenager purposefully walked into the mime, the rest of the group began to crowd him before mimicking his actions,” the user wrote. The mime, visibly frustrated, left the performance area. The clip gained over 15 million views, with many calling out the teens’ conduct. “Not nice and not funny,” the caption read.
And it wasn’t an isolated event. Earlier this year, Winter Springs High School held its prom at SeaWorld Orlando. Several teenagers arrived intoxicated or smuggled in mini liquor bottles, according to Click Orlando. “Unfortunately, we had several students who were involved in sneaking in small containers of alcohol and others who showed up to this event inebriated,” the school said. “This is not only illegal but incredibly dangerous.”
The school confirmed that a few students were transported to the hospital after becoming ill due to alcohol consumption.
Legal Consequences and Lingering Risks
SeaWorld’s struggles with managing guest behavior have even extended into the courtroom. In 2022, four guests filed a $100,000 lawsuit against SeaWorld Orlando, claiming they were physically assaulted by a group of teenagers while waiting in line. The plaintiffs alleged that SeaWorld staff failed to intervene or provide protection, despite witnessing the conflict unfold.
Another lawsuit followed in 2024, this one from an older guest who claimed they sustained “serious injuries” after being attacked by another guest during a dolphin show. “[SeaWorld] knew… or should have known, that numerous crimes, including crimes of violence, had occurred on or near the premises during the months and years immediately preceding May 21, 2023,” the suit read.
That case, like others, pointed to a lack of sufficient security patrols and staff oversight—something critics have long argued is a weak point for SeaWorld.
Aquatica has yet to comment on whether yesterday’s incident will lead to new policies or heightened security for the summer ahead.
What do you think of this week’s incident at Aquatica?
