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SeaWorld doubles down on thrill rides with third roller coaster

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SEAWORLD / TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

Rendering shows a first look at a planned roller coaster SeaWorld is saying will be the tallest, fastest and longest dive coaster in California. It is expected to debut in 2020.

SeaWorld San Diego has announced plans to add in 2020 its tallest roller coaster yet as the once beleaguered marine park continues to invest more heavily in attendance-building thrill rides.

The 153-foot-tall Mako dive coaster marks the third coaster in three years, beginning with Electric Eel in 2018 and Tidal Twister opening later this year.

The San Diego park describes Mako as the longest, tallest and fastest dive coaster in California, although there is only one other such type of coaster in California — the 150-foot-tall HangTime ride at Knott’s Berry Farm.

Dive coasters feature a brief stop at the top of the lift hill that leaves riders dangling over a 90-degree vertical drop for a few seconds before the brakes are released. The floorless feature of the coaster allows riders to dangle their feet with nothing between them and the ground.

Mako would top the new Electric Eel coaster by 3 feet in height and add to the twisting steel redefining the San Diego park’s skyline.

The floorless dive coaster built by Switzerland-based Bolliger & Mabillard will have a 143-foot-tall vertical first drop, a top speed of 60 mph and nearly 2,500 feet of track. The two-minute-long ride will feature a barrel roll and a sweeping Immelmann loop named after a German pilot who used the distinctive flying maneuver in World War II. Each of the floorless cars will hold 18 riders in three, six-person rows.

Ohio-based theme park analyst Dennis Speigel described Bolliger & Mabillard as the “Rolls Royce” of coaster designers.

Plans for yet another coaster ride, says Speigel, “tells me SeaWorld is having success with the rides, it’s helping them offset the Shamu performance shows they stopped with the orcas.”

“As long as I’ve been in the business, roller coasters have been the king of attractions. People love them and come out for them in droves.” Speigel estimates that the Mako coaster could cost from $15 million to $20 million to build.

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