Drone Shows to Replace SeaWorld’s Fireworks over Mission Bay (SeaWorld)

The Commission unanimously approved a CDP for SeaWorld to conduct a year-long drone show pilot, testing whether drone shows can replace its nightly summertime fireworks over Mission Bay. SeaWorld has faced mounting pressure to phase out the shows — mainly due to pollution and wildlife impacts, but also because local residents (and their pets) are tired of the noise. Local environmental groups have demanded a phaseout for years. San Diego Coastkeeper and the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation (CERF) took joint legal action in March 2025, and San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava, whose district suffers the nightly noise and light pollution, applied additional pressure. Public comment and testimony overwhelmingly supported SeaWorld's CDP application. Commission staff supported it as well, adding sensible monitoring requirements to ensure any impacts to birds are understood and mitigated.

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* Commissioner O'Malley recused himself from voting due to potential conflict of interest concerns. O'Maley is San Diego Coastkeeper's former Executive Director and curretnly sits on the board of CERF

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Fireworks casings introduce toxic chemicals and plastics directly into Mission Bay, which connects to the ocean. They harm water quality, marine life, and nesting birds — in direct conflict with Coastal Act Sections 30230 and 30231. San Diego Surfrider and Coastkeeper have documented large amounts of fireworks debris washing ashore along Mission Bay the morning after a SeaWorld show, likely representing a fraction of what's actually released. None of this is surprising: SeaWorld launches its fireworks directly from a barge in the water.

SeaWorld is currently permitted up to 150 shows per year under the City's outdated Master Plan, certified by the Commission back in 2002 (they had 89 in 2025). An amended Master Plan is in the works, but SeaWorld came to the Commission voluntarily with this CDP — a meaningful signal that the phaseout is real. That said, SeaWorld San Diego answers to out-of-state corporate leadership, so it's worth keeping a close eye on the drone pilot this summer to make sure the fireworks phaseout stays on track.

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