In 2021, after a rough year of COVID-based theme park closures, SeaWorld Orlando experienced an upsurge in park attendance, attracting 5.8 million visitors, and it’s not hard to see why. SeaWorld Orlando is home to some top-level thrill rides. Among the roller coasters at SeaWorld are Ice Breaker, Manta, and Kraken.
But now in 2023, Florida will have a fun new addition to add to its SeaWorld Orlando attractions, the Pipeline Surf Coaster. Want to know more about this exciting new coaster?
This guide will give you all of the insider info you need to know in the hope that you know how to plan your next SeaWorld Orlando vacation. Keep reading below to learn more.
Pipeline Surf Coaster Opening Date
The Pipeline Surf Coaster was announced by SeaWorld Orlando representatives on October 18, 2022, as the 7th roller coaster to date. The restraints and train car design were revealed in November of 2022 to build up further hype. In December it was revealed that the Pipeline Surf Coaster track had completed its track installation as a big milestone.
Up until this point, SeaWorld Orlando only teased the announcement by using the hashtag #HighSurfAdvisory on its social media accounts. There has not currently been an official opening date released yet by SeaWorld.
As of now, the Surf Coaster opening date is still slated for a general Spring 2023 opening with more details likely to come as the season approaches. Annual Pass Holders will receive early access to the coaster through SeaWorld’s Passport to Thrills program.
Pipeline Surf Coaster Features
The Pipeline Surf Coaster at SeaWorld Orlando will offer a unique and rich rider experience filled with thrills and chills. SeaWorld Orlando has dubbed this as the world’s first “surf coaster.” The first-of-its-kind coaster’s design will let rides feel the exhilaration of surfing combined with the twists and turns of a roller coaster.
Although it appears to have the same structure as other stand-up roller coasters at SeaWorld, SeaWorld Orlando is adamant that this is not considered a stand-up roller coaster. The specially designed restraints on the train cars will move vertically. This will give riders the feel of rolling and jumping over waves.
This feature allows riders to bend their knees and control their center of gravity as they would if they were actually surfing. This is why the Pipeline Surf Coaster is not considered to be a stand-up coaster.
Pipeline Surf Coaster Train Car Design
It appears that each train car on the Pipeline Surf Coaster will accommodate 4 riders in a side-by-side arrangement. Images of the ride show that there will be 6 train cars linked together for a total rider capacity of 24 riders. These train cars take on the appearance of a large and long surfboard with decorative fins on the back and the front car section sporting a pointed tip.
The surfboard part of the train cars is painted with a golden yellow coloring while the upper restraint portion and the wheel wells are a light turquoise blue to match the track coloring. The rider seats are a darker periwinkle blue coloring on a white frame with orange-colored restraints. The portion where the riders’ feet will go on the surfboard has an orange and golden swirl pattern motif.
The Pipeline Surf Coaster is being designed and built by Bolliger and Mabillard, a Swiss roller coaster company. This is the same company behind designing other roller coasters at SeaWorld such as the Manta, Mako, and Kraken at SeaWorld Orlando.
Pipeline Surf Coaster Ride Experience
The Pipeline Surf Coaster will deliver all of the best suspense and adventure you’ve come to expect from SeaWorld Orlando. The riders will start out standing on a giant surfboard. The seats will rise and fall through the ride to mimic the sensation of riding a wave in the ocean.
The coaster has a maximum speed of 60 MPH. This provides plenty of stimulation for its riders. The coaster also contains a “wave curl” inversion to mimic an alley-oop surfing maneuver, the same one used by skateboarders.
The “wave curl” loop uses a 360º counterclockwise loop to make riders feel like they are weightless. It copies the feel of a surfboarder projecting into the air and rotating to land back on their boards. Not only that it has been noted but the Pipeline Surf Coaster promises heights up to 110 feet into the air.
The Pipeline track contains 2,950 feet worth of track. A dynamic start sends you barreling on a surfing journey that clocks in at about 1 minute and 50 seconds of total adrenaline-pumping ride time. Coaster riders will experience 5 airtime movements along the twisting and turning track.
Keep in mind the required height to ride the Pipeline Surf Coaster is listed at 54 inches or 4 feet 5 inches tall.
How Does the Pipeline Surf Coaster Compare to Other Roller Coasters at SeaWorld?
The Pipeline Surf Coaster joins an illustrious lineup of other roller coasters at SeaWorld Orlando. Namely, the Ice Breaker, Manta, and Kraken. This makes it the best reason to plan your SeaWorld Orlando vacation in 2023.
But just how does the Pipeline Surf Coaster stack up to its counterparts of SeaWorld Orlando attractions? Let’s examine the differences here.
Ice Breaker™
Ice Breaker opened at SeaWorld Orlando on February 18, 2022. It has a minimum height requirement of 54 inches tall in order to ride which was changed from its original 48-inch height requirement for added safety. Its total ride time clocks in at 1 minute and 20 seconds.
The Ice Breaker is the icy peaks and summits of the Arctic. This high-thrill ride features 4 opportunities for airtime-filled launches. It also incorporates both backward and forwards plunges with the final launch resulting in a reverse vertical drop down a 93-foot tall spike at a 100º angle.
Riders will also fly across 1,900 feet of track experiencing an almost completely vertical top hat maneuver and all of a sudden along you hit airtime hills, twists, and turns. Ice Breaker reaches a maximum speed of 52 MPH. It is located across from the Wild Artic section of the SeaWorld Orlando park.
In 2019, SeaWorld Orlando teased the ride’s potential opening with the hashtag #BreakTheIce. The seated train car setup features 2 trains with 3 cars per train. The coaster arranges pairs of 2 riders across 3 rows with a total rider capacity of 18 riders.
This ride doesn’t feature any inversions like the Pipeline Surf Coaster, the 100º drop along with its backward and forward motions are enough to get any heartbeat racing.
Manta®
The Manta roller coaster opened in SeaWorld Orlando on May 22, 2009. It has a unique manta ray-shaped roller coaster train that suspends riders in the prone or face-down position suspended from above as it soars high across the park. Manta has a combination of foot clasps around the riders’ ankles and a shoulder harness suspension for safety while the ride swivels downward.
Manta departs the station and climbs up a 140-foot high chain lift hill. The 3,359-foot-long track features 4 inversions and a 98-foot tall “pretzel loop” and corkscrew twist. The Manta coaster reaches a top speed of 56 MPH and achieves 3.7 G’s of force as it plummets into a ground-level trench.
The Manta gives riders the feel of a real manta ray as it majestically glides through the ocean. It is a smooth and effortless track ride that takes you through such attractions as a downward misty lagoon dip and even rushing down a waterfall.
Manta’s coaster contains 3 trains with 8 cars. It seats riders in rows of 4 for a total rider capacity of 32 riders at a time. It has a total ride time of 3 minutes and has a height capacity much like the other roller coasters at SeaWorld Orlando of 54 inches tall.
Kraken®
The Kraken is “Orlando’s only floorless roller coaster” and is named after the mythological sea beast. It opened at SeaWorld Orlando on June 1, 2000, and is classified as an extreme thrill ride for good reason. The Kraken roller coaster boasts 4,177 feet of track length with a 144-foot drop from a chain lift hill that leaves its riders’ feet dangling from a pedestal above the tracks in open-sided seats.
It pulls in an impressive 3.9 G’s of force and achieves a top speed of 65 MPH. It also features 7 inversions for a truly stomach-turning experience for riders 54 inches and above. The Kraken has 3 trains with 8 cars per train and seats 4 riders in a row for a total capacity of 32 riders in each train segment.
It includes elements as well as a tunnel and a 128-foot tall vertical loop along with a:
- Corkscrew
- Cobra roll
- Back brake
- Zero-G roll
- Dive loop
- Vertical loop
All of these components combine into a thrill ride that would rival the terror inflicted by the deep seas monster itself. It will have your heart going a mile a minute. The Kraken, along with the Ice Breaker, Manta, and Pipeline Surf Coaster is sure to help make your SeaWorld Orlando vacation one to remember.
Find Resources to Create an Unforgettable SeaWorld Orlando Vacation at Fun Park Go
When you get the “Winter Blues”, soon you’ll be ready to welcome Spring 2023 in a big way when the Pipeline Surf Coaster opens. A SeaWorld Orlando vacation delivers all of the excitement and fun you’ve been searching for. SeaWorld Orlando has the cure for your Winter blues with first-class hair-raising exhilaration.
Fun Park Go is your top source for planning your next SeaWorld Orlando vacation. Our informative guides will give you all the information you need to create the perfect itinerary of SeaWorld Orlando attractions.
Contact us today for more information on your next SeaWorld vacation.
