If you're like me, since the time you were little, you've always loved the water and the animals that came with it.

From the time I was five or six years old, I've gone to aquariums, I even went to SeaWorld for my sixth birthday. If I had known back then about the cruelty and abuse that goes on at SeaWorld and places like it, that all goes on behind closed doors, I probably would've cried instead of screamed in excitement when my mom told me we were going to see the whale show with two of my best friends.

When I was in middle school, I watched Blackfish, which is a documentary specifically on SeaWorld and the animal abuse that goes on there. Let's just say I was very upset afterwards. After discovering the potential effects captivity can have on very intelligent animals, I did my own research. And when I say I did my own research, I mean I did a lot. What I found horrified me.

The Orcas at SeaWorld, who are very intelligent animals that have brains that need to be constantly stimulated at activity, spend the majority of their time floating hopelessly at the surface of a tank with no shade from the hot Florida sun. The deepest tank for the orcas is 40 feet, which isn't nearly deep enough to protect these animals (that are built for deep sea conditions) from the often harsh outdoor elements.

Some of the orcas you see at SeaWorld today were kidnapped from their natural homes and sent to SeaWorld for your entertainment. One of the most famous orcas at SeaWorld today, Tilikum (now 32 years old), was captured from his home at the age of only 2, but some would say that he has it better than some orcas, who were killed not captured. In multiple cases, the mother of a baby orca would be shot and killed so that the baby could be taken away. In others, orcas were taken from the ocean and slaughtered, then anchors were put around their tails as they were thrown back into the ocean so their deaths were less likely to be discovered.

Different from the statistics SeaWorld provides to it's current and potential employees, orcas in captivity have a shorter lifespan than in the wild. Nine is the median age of orcas in captivity. An orca living in captivity could be expected to live anywhere from about 30 to 70 years, while in the wild the average life span would be closer to 80 or 100.

Sea world has also failed to provide adequate care for it's sick animals on dozens of documented occasions. Children have been bitten by infected dolphins, use of expired surgical supplies has been discovered, etc. Orcas are also covered in black zinc oxide once sunburned, largely to hide the burns from the general public. It can be easy to see an orca or a dolphin's happy "smiling" face and assume they are happy, but these animals are truly hurting.

Before you buy a ticket to an orca show, make an arrangement to swim with the dolphins, or even go to certain aquariums, be sure you're not exploiting these animals for your own entertainment. But even if you aren't, the companies are.

Don't buy a ticket. Why should animals suffer for your entertainment?