ORLANDO, Fla. – SeaWorld Orlando is hoping to make a big splash with its newest roller coaster attraction this spring.
“Pipeline: The Surfing Coaster” will take guests on an incredible journey with five different airtime moments as it races up to heights of 110 feet in the air along the 2,950-feet of track. Right now, construction crews are busy putting the final touches on the attraction.
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On Thursday, News 6 was invited to go beyond the construction fences to go on a hard-hat tour and see the progress.
“You know, a surf coaster really does belong here,” said Clint Brikner, Vice President of Design and Engineering. “To bring this this kind of experience to our park where you’re here at our Bayside lagoon, and we’re pairing the water and sea and the feeling that you get when you’re at SeaWorld with an incredible sport - I think it’s a great pairing of the type of attraction that we built and where we placed it.”
Currently, the ride’s track is complete and construction crews are putting the final touches on the ride’s operating tower which will be designed to look like a Southern California lifeguard tower. Before boarding, guests will also see a beautiful art mural that will simulate the street and boardwalk vibe of Southern California.
Pipeline’s surfboard style ride vehicle will have guests standing and locked into a neutral position. During your journey on the waves, the ride vehicle will simulate surfing by moving up and down.
“It’s a really cool opportunity where it’s never going to be the same way twice - because your feet won’t be just quite the same, or you won’t be locked in exactly the same, and it’s just a very, very unique experience where every time you come out here to surf, it’s gonna be a whole new ride,” Brikner described.
The surfing experience will be incredible from the moment the ride begins. Leaders said the ride will blast out of the attraction’s station at 60 miles per hour where it will hit its first surfing maneuver and into an impressive 110 feet tall “hammerhead wave.”
The 110-second ride will then send riders into several back and forth surfing-style cutbacks, manuvers, a splash down experience and an impressive 360-degree inversion.
“When you come off, you’ll exit through our High Surf gift shop where you’ll have all your favorite SeaWorld gear and surf gear, pickup ride photos, and that whole atmosphere of a rustic surf shack,” Brikner pointed out. “So it’s gonna feel like you’re a beach bum, picking up your your board shorts.”
The coaster is located near the theme park’s front entrance gates, in an area formally used by a number of popular festivals. When Pipeline opens, Brikler said the area will have an all-new feel to it and SeaWorld will have plans to bring back some festival food booths used throughout the year.
SeaWorld Orlando’s annual passholders will be among the first riders to access to “Pipeline: The Surf Coaster” when it opens this spring.
The minimum height requirement for Pipeline is 54 inches, and the maximum height is 78 inches. A test seat and height requirement sign will be found outside the ride queue.
“We’re putting all the finishing touches on all the facilities - but the next big steps are going to be moving the train. Eventually we’re going to shoot the train over the launch for the first time - and on a launch coaster that’s a really great moment,” Brikner concluded.
Click here to learn more about Pipeline: The Surfing Coaster.
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