In touch with the life aquatic

A two-acre tropical habitat where you can touch and feed dolphins and stingrays and get up close to penguins will soon open at Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo, 30 miles northeast of San Francisco.

The 140-acre city-owned park is home to Shouka the killer whale and elephants, tigers and more than 3,000 other animals, plus rides and roller coasters. It has long allowed dolphin-human contact through its “Dolphin Discovery” program — for a fee. In that program, which costs $149.99 per person plus entrance to the park, visitors don wetsuits and get in the water with dolphins, which they can touch and feed.

The Ocean Discovery zone, scheduled to open Friday, will be free to visitors who have paid general park admission, which is $47.99 for those taller than 48 inches and $25.99 for those 48 inches or shorter, said park spokesman Paul Garcia.

Inside Ocean Discovery, several bottlenose dolphins will cruise through a 200,000-gallon tank, where visitors can touch them. Another tank will hold several Southern stingrays, each up to 5 feet long. “You can put your hand in the water and feel the skin of the stingrays as they slither through their 12,000-gallon tank,” Garcia said.

Feeding the dolphins and stingrays costs an additional $4 and will be allowed, with staff supervision, at designated times of the day. During some of these sessions, visitors will be able to reward dolphins with food for performing tricks.

In another Ocean Discovery area, about 10 penguins will frolic in a two-tiered habitat: a rocky island and a pool. Feeding and touching are not allowed.

Six Flags has been targeted by some activists who say its elephant rides and interactive exhibits exploit animals and lack educational value. Last year, one of the park’s elephants gored and critically injured a trainer.

Garcia said the animals are treated well. “Most of our animals were born at our park,” he said. “They’ve been thriving for the past 10 or 15 years.”

He said attractions such as Ocean Discovery provide visitors with a “personal attachment to a dolphin.”

“We hope they’ll take that experience back with them to the classroom and may be inspired to help maintain dolphin habitats and populations,” he added.

The park is open Friday through Sunday through May, then daily from May 30 through Aug. 28 before returning to weekend operation in September and October. Information: (707) 644-4000, vwww.sixflags.com/parks/marineworld.