Polar Bear Plunge

Polar Bear Plunge at the San Diego Zoo is one of those exhibits that earns the term 'immersive' without exaggeration. The centerpiece is an underwater viewing area where polar bears regularly swim and dive — and visitors can stand at glass windows and watch a 1,000-pound bear move through water just feet away.

The scale of a polar bear in motion is something that photographs don't adequately convey. These are enormous animals — the largest land predators in the world — and watching one glide past a glass panel in slow, powerful movements produces genuine awe in children and adults alike. When a bear dives from the surface and accelerates toward the viewing glass, the reaction from kids standing there tends to be screaming followed immediately by wanting to see it again.

The habitat around the underwater viewing includes naturalistic rocky terrain and Arctic fox exhibits. The foxes often go unnoticed by visitors focused on the polar bears, but they're worth finding — their coat changes between brown-gray summer coloring and pure white winter coloring depending on season, which is a good observation exercise for kids.

Practical notes for timing: polar bears are substantially more active in the morning and on cooler days. San Diego's mild climate makes the polar bear habitat livable year-round, but summer afternoons tend to find the bears resting in shaded areas rather than swimming. Plan to visit this exhibit in the first half of your zoo day for the best behavioral viewing.

Polar Bear Plunge is included in standard San Diego Zoo admission with no upcharge.