originally posted on 2/14/2019
Barely before enthusiasts could get excited about upcoming coasters for the 2019 season, SeaWorld San Diego surprised the coaster world with the announcement of yet another new coaster for 2020.
The original SeaWorld park, famous (and infamous) for its Shamu shows, continues to reinvent itself without sacrificing its message. In recent years, the SeaWorld parks have moved toward an emphasis on rides. Thankfully for enthusiasts, several have been coasters. SeaWorld Orlando opened Mako in 2016, and SeaWorld San Antonio debuted Wave Breaker: The Jet Rescue Coaster in 2017. Last year, SeaWorld San Diego brought Electric Eel and this year will introduce the coaster-like Tidal Twister. So, now an announcement of a third in a row? That’s pretty impressive, particularly considering the next one is by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M)!
Mako Photo: Courtesy SeaWorld. View full-sized image.
B&M is no stranger to SeaWorld parks. Both Busch parks claim three, SeaWorld Orlando has three, San Antonio has one and now San Diego will be getting its first. Once in place, San Diego will be solidified as a legit coaster destination considering the ACE Roller Coaster Landmark — Belmont Park’s woodie, Giant Dipper — is just down the road.
Will there be any bragging rights? Sure.
California, long having the record as the state with the most B&M coasters, will further strengthen its count with one more — giving the state nine. SeaWorld is marketing the new ride as the tallest dive coaster in California, besting Knott’s HangTime by three feet. It will be the tallest coaster at SeaWorld as well.
If anyone is to have a quibble, it might be with the name. It appears duplicating names within theme park chains shows no signs of stopping. This is the most frustrating when rides of the same name are dissimilar. Mako will soon be a name of a coaster on both coasts, just like Manta.
Aside from that, enthusiasts have a lot to be excited about. Mako will be the first B&M built in the United States since, well, Mako. With much activity in China, the Swiss manufacturer has been noticeably absent from our nation with a four-year gap. This year will at least bring Yukon Striker to North America at Canada’s Wonderland (Vaughan, Ontario). Mako won’t boast those kind of statistics, but it will bring the still relatively rare genre of B&M’s dive coaster once again to the United States, increasing the count to four (five in North America). It will also introduce a new type of train to this side of the world. Mako will sport trains of three rows of six riders, for a total of 18 on each train. Europe has seen this variation, but it will be totally new here at home. Compared with the 24- and 30-seat trains Americans are used to seeing, the 18-seat version will be a novelty, first introduced on Krake at Heide Park (Soltau, Germany). As standard today, the trains will be floorless.
Mako will feature six-across seating first seen on Heide Parks's Krake.
Krake Photo: Alex Dickey. View full-sized image.
Although the layout isn’t fully known, this new installation looks to boast three inversions — a barrel roll, Immelmann loop and flat spin. A highly banked hammerhead turn will also be incorporated. The sequence of these elements isn’t entirely known yet, but the artist rendering logically indicates the Immelmann will follow the 143-foot drop. Track length is reported to be nearly 2,500 feet.
SeaWorld’s animal-conservation element of the ride will focus on shark awareness and will include a partnership with a shark conservation organization. The chain’s message of animal rescue, conservation and ocean stewardship will still be present even in the presence of towering steel.
The coaster will be located adjacent to Journey to Atlantis in the southeast corner of the park.
ACEers rejoice! Combined with Hersheypark’s announcement of a (presumed) B&M hypercoaster, San Diego’s Mako is proof that B&M is back in the States in 2020.
— Tim Baldwin
@#$%&!
#ACENews