SeaWorld San Diego has long held a special place in the region’s history and heart. For more than 60 years, the iconic theme park and aquarium on Mission Bay has shaped how generations encounter marine life—many San Diegans fondly recall watching the colorful antics of sea lions Seamore and Clyde or discovering, firsthand, that shark skin isn’t quite as smooth as it looks.
What’s less visible, but central to SeaWorld’s mission, is what happens beyond the attractions. Education and conservation drive much of SeaWorld’s operations, both inside and outside its gates. The park’s rescue teams have become a recognizable presence along the coast, especially during sea lion pupping season. SeaWorld is one of the largest marine animal rescue organizations in the world and has had an outsize impact on wildlife response in the San Diego region, facilitating over 555 animal rescues in 2025 alone, with the goal of returning them back to their natural habitat.
This January, SeaWorld visitors have a rare opportunity to hear directly from the people who make that mission possible. One of the park’s most meaningful event series can sometimes be overlooked amid the high-profile summer and holiday seasons but, over the next two weekends, SeaWorld will highlight the deep connections between SeaWorld’s animals and the dedicated professionals who care for them in its Inside Look series. Guests are invited to talk with rescue team members who provide life-saving care to injured and stranded animals, plus participate in an expanded slate of other interactive experiences. Among the Inside Look series’ highlights are a stop at the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, where scientists focus on sustaining marine ecosystems, and meeting the park’s shark specialists, who will preview SeaWorld’s all-new Shark Encounter opening this spring. Guests can also meet animal ambassadors Spike the alligator and Tater Tot the capybara, hear from otter, dolphin, and orca trainers, and play tic-tac-toe with a diver submerged in Turtle Reef communicating via whiteboard.
Inside Look offers direct access to animal care experts who are eager to share their life’s work with guests and pull the curtain back on what they do every day. Many members of SeaWorld’s animal care team began their own journeys as young visitors—children who met a trainer, saw the one‑on‑one bond between people and marine animals, and felt inspired to follow that path. The result is a truly behind‑the‑scenes experience for anyone interested in marine life, ocean conservation, or simply gaining a deeper understanding of SeaWorld and its core mission. Inside Look sessions are included with park admission and a passport guide is available.
For those interested in going a step further, a limited VIP tour experience offers more exclusive animal access guided by a SeaWorld expert. The park recently launched an Ultimate San Diego VIP Getaway Package, an all-in-one experience that combines luxury and adventure. It includes a three-night stay at the Bahia Resort Hotel, an ultimate VIP tour experience, front-of-the-line access to rides and attractions, and a private city tour by La Jolla Star Transportation, a luxury transportation service.
SeaWorld is also extending its mission of education and conservation into the digital space for those who want a close-up look at the park’s animal inhabitants but can’t make it in person (or who can but are craving more cuteness). For a limited time, viewers can watch SeaWorld’s more than 200 penguins in real time via its Penguin Cam. The live stream from the 25-degree Penguin Encounter habitat features five species of penguins plus interactions with trainers and the daily addition of more than 4,000 pounds of fresh snow. The penguin habitat mimics the Arctic suncycle, so tune in before it goes dark.
For more information on SeaWorld’s programs and offerings, please visit SeaWorldSanDiego.com.
A perfectly designed home rarely happens by accident. Those kitchens that feel effortless and rooms that seem to tell a story the second you walk in? They’re usually the work of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing.
It’s knowing which ideas will actually work, which materials will hold up over time, and how to turn a collection of choices into a space that feels intentional. That’s where a professional interior designer comes in.
For the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) California San Diego Chapter, the goal is to help people see interior design as more than just the finished look. Behind every well-designed space is a process built on technical expertise. Designers are educated in everything from professional software and construction details to building codes, space planning, materials, and functionality.
Courtesy of ASID
“People don’t always realize how much goes on behind the scenes,” Kirsten Recce , current president of the ASID California San Diego Chapter, says. “Our designers are not just doing furniture placement and color selection and picking out new fluffy pillows. That’s not what they’re trained for.”
ASID members bring formal education, continued learning, and industry knowledge to their projects, helping create spaces that are not only beautiful, but designed to work. A paint color that changes completely depending on the lighting. A material that looks beautiful in a showroom but doesn’t make sense for everyday life. A layout that photographs well but doesn’t function for the people living there. These are the details where professional guidance can make all the difference.
Still, one of the biggest misconceptions about hiring an interior designer is that it’s reserved for massive renovations, luxury homes, or people who already know exactly what they want. The process can feel intimidating. Where do you begin? Is a designer worth the investment? What if you only need help with one room?
ASID’s answer: start with one hour.
ASID’s Spruce Up events break down one of the biggest barriers between homeowners and professional design: knowing where to begin. Held twice a year, the community program gives homeowners the chance to work directly with an ASID designer through a one-hour, $125 consultation in their own home. Whether you’re looking for advice on furniture placement, window treatments, kitchen and bath updates, remodeling ideas, vacation rentals, color selections or something else entirely, the upcoming September 2026 event offers an approachable way to get expert guidance before committing to a full project. Signups are open through Sept. 7, with consultations taking place Sept. 21 through Oct. 31. Proceeds benefit ASID San Diego’s educational and community programs. Register here!
Courtesy of ASID
“It’s a great opportunity for people who are in that exploratory phase,” Recce says. “Maybe they’re not sure they want to hire an interior designer yet, or they think it sounds daunting or expensive. This gives them a chance to discover what working with a designer is actually like.”
Design is personal. A good designer isn’t just creating a beautiful room; they’re helping create a space that fits the way someone lives.
“We’re a resource to all of San Diego County,” Recce says. “It doesn’t cost anything to pick up the phone and call and ask. We’ll answer.”
Growing up, Laika Nur, MD, Scripps Clinic sports medicine specialist, loved watching beach volleyball when the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour came to her hometown of Chicago. A talented volleyball player herself, she remembers sitting in the stands all day, and once, even got a couple autographs. Years later, Dr. Nur was attending a professional event focused on women’s sports, and the discussion turned to a new professional women’s volleyball league. The general manager and coaching staff for San Diego’s team, the Mojo, happened to be in attendance, and Dr. Nur took the opportunity to ask them if they needed a team doctor. Flash forward to the Mojo’s inaugural 2024 season, when Dr. Nur officially became the team physician. Click here to read more about Dr. Nur and how she incorporates lessons she learned on the court into her practice.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
Your feet and ankles probably aren’t something you give much thought to—until something goes wrong. Orthopedic surgeons at Scripps Clinic are on the leading edge of foot and ankle reconstruction, treating patients with sports injuries, deformities, traumatic injuries and other conditions. That includes repairing torn Achilles tendons with a minimally invasive procedure that shrinks the incision site to less than a centimeter, and performing advanced ankle replacement on some patients with ankle arthritis. Read more about Scripps’ innovations in foot and ankle care here.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
Mai Vue was just 34 weeks pregnant when she delivered her baby. Her pregnancy had been complicated, and she’d had a recent second trimester pregnancy loss, which led to her receiving specialized care from Sean Daneshmand, MD, a Scripps Clinic perinatologist who oversees high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Daneshmand and his team took care of Mai during her pregnancy, through the birth of her healthy baby girl and beyond. Mai was part of a program Scripps launched to provide support to new moms in the weeks and months after delivery. The postpartum program, known as Scripps Health’s Fourth Trimester Continuum of Care, provides care for women with high-risk pregnancies to optimize their health after childbirth and reduce the risk of complications in future pregnancies. Click here to learn more.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
It’s estimated that one in five people in the U.S. will develop skin cancer at some point in their lives. When you factor in living in a sun-soaked city like San Diego and the outdoorsy lifestyle that comes with it, that figure can jump to as high as one in three, which makes early detection and intervention all the more important. Dermatologists at Bighorn Mohs and Dermatology Center are using innovative imaging methods and advanced surgical techniques to diagnose and treat skin cancer. For certain cancers in sensitive spots, like the face, dermatologists perform Mohs surgery, removing skin tissue layer by layer until reaching healthy, cancer-free tissue. They also use a process called immunohistochemistry to view tissue samples taken during Mohs surgery in far greater detail than previous methods. Read more about how Scripps is advancing skin cancer care here.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
When endurance athlete Isaac Sanchez learned he had cancer, he felt blindsided. He was healthy, surfed often and was training for an Ironman triathlon. But he had to put that on hold to undergo treatment. His physicians at Scripps Cancer Center developed a plan to treat the cancer in his tonsil and lymph nodes that included six-and-a-half weeks of near-daily radiation and weekly chemotherapy. He also worked with a Scripps Cancer Center dietitian to enhance his nutrition to promote strength and healing. Today, Isaac’s back to doing what he loves. Read more of his story here.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
