Reimagining an iconic attraction with bespoke LED displays
SeaWorld San Diego’s iconic Shark Encounter reopened in May 2026 following the biggest refresh of the attraction since the habitat first opened in 1992.
Following the successful collaboration on SeaWorld’s Jewels of the Sea attraction, digiLED once again worked alongside AVI-SPL’s XTG division to deliver a bespoke LED solution designed around the visitor experience.
This time, a combination of fine-pitch ceiling displays and curved LED walls was integrated throughout Shark Encounter, helping connect the physical aquarium environment with immersive digital content while keeping the live sharks firmly at the heart of the experience.
“We had a successful formula with Jellyfish. SeaWorld was happy, the technology partners were happy, and everyone had developed a strong rhythm. Carrying those relationships and technologies into Shark Encounter made a lot of sense.” – Joshua Ladwig, Account Manager – AVI-SPL
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LED displays designed for an immersive attraction
Shark Encounter takes visitors on a journey exploring the lives and habitats of sharks, including sand tiger, blacktip reef and endangered Australian leopard sharks. The attraction’s moving tunnel remains a central feature, providing a 180-degree view into the habitat.
The experience begins with a journey through four ocean zones – shallows, nearshore, open ocean and deep sea. As visitors progress, fish silhouettes move overhead, the environment gradually darkens and the accompanying soundscape shifts, creating a sense of travelling deeper beneath the ocean’s surface.
The immersive experience continues into the marine-life gallery, where visitors encounter conservation content before coming face-to-face with the live sharks.
“The all-new Shark Encounter is an awe-inspiring experience that brings guests face-to-face with some of the ocean’s most powerful and misunderstood predators.” – Tyler Carter, Park President
Bespoke LED ceilings and curved displays
Bringing this underwater journey to life required a bespoke LED solution designed around the attraction’s architecture. digiLED supplied three fine-pitch LED products, with pixel pitches ranging from 1.25mm to 1.9mm, to create a combination of immersive ceilings and curved displays.
A 35-foot overhead display, featuring 1.9mm digiTHIN XS Q, guides visitors through the entry corridor. Within the marine-life gallery, a second ceiling uses 1.56mm digiTHIN EX Q, while two 1.25mm digiFLEX LP curved LED walls present conservation content alongside the acrylic viewing window into the shark habitat.
The combination of different LED technologies allows digital content to flow across the attraction’s architectural features, complementing the real marine environment rather than competing with it.
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“The final viewing room feels super immersive because you have screens in front of you, over the top of you, and then an actual viewing window into the tank itself. It all works really well together.
The guest feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We saw over 250,000 guests come into Shark Encounter within the first few weeks of opening. Before, people moved from Point A to Point B. Now they’re stopping, looking up, and engaging with the experience throughout the exhibit.”
Christopher Pousson, Project Manager
SeaWorld San Diego
ZERO “Standby” energy with digiLED ZEUS®
Creating an immersive attraction of this scale shouldn’t mean consuming energy when no one is there to experience it. Every digiLED screen within Shark Encounter is connected to digiLED ZEUS®, our patented power management system that cuts wasted standby power consumption to ZERO when the attraction is closed.
It’s an approach SeaWorld had already adopted for Jewels of the Sea, where digiLED supplied 108sqm of bespoke LED around the attraction’s circular jellyfish tanks. Following that successful installation, ZEUS was specified again for Shark Encounter.
From immersive ceilings to curved LED walls, the result is technology designed not only around the visitor experience, but around what happens when the attraction closes its doors too.
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FAQs
What does digiLED do?
At digiLED, we partner closely with system integrators, consultants, architects & designers to bring ambitious, fully bespoke LED screen projects to life.
This involves creating products from scratch, with deep knowledge of every raw component, hands-on management of the supply chain and production, & real expertise in product design, structural engineering & quality control.
Where does digiLED operate?
Over the years we've delivered many of the world's most high-profile and technically demanding LED screen installations.
digiLED was born in the UK, and our global headquarters remains just outside London - home to a cutting-edge showroom, repair centre, warehousing, training and design hub.
We also operate a dedicated team in the United States from our Las Vegas Pixel Depot Showroom, which includes repair facilities, training spaces and warehousing.
Beyond that we maintain offices and teams in Japan, across Europe, and at our digiLED Tech Hub in Shenzhen.
What LED screen applications does digiLED cover?
We deliberately target the top 20% of the market – the projects that demand the very best in terms of quality, reliability and longevity.
That means using only top-tier components and building LED screens to the highest possible standard. Yes, it can make us more expensive than the mass-market options, but that’s exactly why we’re the right choice for the jobs that really matter.
Our sweet spot is the complex, the custom, the non-flat: screens that wrap around curves, climb walls, bend corners, and create something truly unforgettable.
We specialise in:
- Immersive experiences
- Sports stadiums
- Arenas & live events
- TV studios & broadcast environments
- DOOH & high-impact digital signage
Why choose digiLED for your next LED screen project?
We’re more than a supplier – we’re your safety net.
We stay close to the process with boots on the ground: hand-picking the finest components, working with only the best production partners, and personally overseeing R&D, prototyping, QC, factory acceptance testing (FAT), logistics and project delivery.
It’s why our customers don’t just work with us once – they keep coming back.
What is digiLED ZEUS®?
digiLED ZEUS® is the world's first patented technology that completely eliminates wasted standby power on LED screens. When the screen is black, it uses literally ZERO watts.
digiLED ZEUS® allows the automated on/off power cycles of LED screens and can be used on displays of any shape and size across all display applications.
It's already won multiple awards and is helping clients around the world significantly cut their energy bills and shrink their carbon footprint.
ZEUS is now live in 130+ global LED screen projects.
More details here: https://www.digiled.com/digiled-zeus/
