SeaWorld Orlando‘s new surfboard-style roller coaster is opening to the public on 27 May, and to annual passholders on 12 May.
Pipeline: The Surf Coaster is the park’s seventh coaster. It has surfboard-style ride vehicles that put riders in a standing position at up to 110 feet in the air. The ‘seats’ rise and fall to give the sensation of riding on a wave.
Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the new coaster offers five airtime moments and speeds of up to 60 mph. It also features an innovative ‘wave curl’ inversion.
Guests will feel like they are “really riding the waves, thanks to an inventive harness that keeps you secure while giving you unparalleled freedom of movement”, said SeaWorld Orlando.
In a video in April, SeaWorld Orlando’s vice president of park operations Rob McNicholas said: “On Pipeline, you can hang 110 feet in the air on our hammerhead wave.”
“This is the only ride in the world where you can mimic the movement of surfing,” he added.
As well as announcing an opening date for the new ride, SeaWorld Orlando has shared a full POV rendering, which you can watch below.
Pipeline: The Surf Coaster POV rendering
Another new roller attraction coming to a SeaWorld theme park this month is DarKoaster, the world’s first all-indoor straddle coaster.
From 19 May, guests at Busch Gardens Williamsburg will race on snowmobiles across 2,454 feet of track, experiencing maximum speeds of 36 mph.
Elsewhere, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi on Yas Island is opening to the public on 23 May. The new park boasts eight immersive realms with animal encounters, rides and entertainment.
The first SeaWorld theme park outside of the US is home to more than 100,000 marine animals.
Images: SeaWorld
