originally posted on 3/17/2023
Aquaman: Power Wave.
Photo: Courtesy Six Flags Over Texas. View full-sized image.
Not every coaster comes with a story. Aquaman: Power Wave does. The world saw many coaster projects delayed because of the global pandemic (a few as much as two years), but this first-in-North America attraction has more to it.
When Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington) purchased the Mack Rides PowerSplash, it would have been the second to open in the world. (Walibi Belgium, Wavre, opened the first, Pulsar, in 2016.)
Enter COVID-19. Projects everywhere were halted. Some managed to open later in the season. Others were delayed until the world got more of a handle on the pandemic — either 2021 or 2022. As the Aquaman installation was put on hold, the new park president at the time looked at the company’s initiative of getting more guests on rides. The decision was to hold off and redesign the attraction with a turntable so that the capacity could be doubled with a second boat.
The addition of the turntable delayed the project, but it has greatly increased the capacity.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
For the long term, this was a good idea. It required patience on the part of the park guests, but it was a smart move. It was involved, however. Three pieces of track had to be removed, and foundational concrete had to be demolished. A pit for turntable machinery had to be dug, and then equipment had to be manufactured by Mack. All this took time, as the company already had other coaster projects on the books. Couple that with supply chain issues, and the ride wasn’t operational until the end of summer 2022. What was a park to do? It had lost its entire marketing season, and the upcoming Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park were already attendance drivers for the fall.
Photos: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
View full-sized image.
Once 2023 arrived, signage and final touches to thematic décor, along with a queue and work on the station were completed. By mid-February, guests were seeing testing done. Two passholder weekend previews took place, letting area ACE members and hundreds of guests get an early peek. (People even rode on a day in the 40s!)
With an official opening date of March 11, the long-awaited attraction is now thrilling Texans and visitors to the state.
Aquaman: Power Wave is the first water coaster of its type in North America.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
With the turntable added, it is admittedly a snug fit in the park. But its placement right on a main midway makes it a spectator gem. People are mesmerized watching boats speed back and forth up two vertical spikes, and the final splash always elicits responses from onlookers.
So, for a first of its kind in North America, is it different? Yes and no.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
Devoted fans will find past experiences from the park indirectly embedded in the ride. Fans of the old Flashback will enjoy the shuttle experience. Those who remember the old 1987 Splashwater Falls (later Aquaman Splashdown) will see the return of the huge splash. And while the launch and shuttle of Mr. Freeze are still in operation at the park, Aquaman: Power Wave delivers that thrill of traveling up the spike in reverse, allowing guests to stare straight down — and much more comfortably. When the Premier launched coaster was returned to its original forward-launched position last fall, that thrilling aspect was lost. Now it’s back.
Both reverse spikes are angled at 90 degrees.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
The ride is relatively simple. While one boat is out on the rails, another boat is loading. A turntable rotates to put the second boat in place. The vehicle quickly takes off in reverse with the first of three launches. Rolling up the back tower only part of the way, the boat rolls forward and engages with the second launch, increasing the speed of the ride. After rising up the other vertical track, riders feel true weightlessness and then freefall to engage the final pass on the linear-synchronous-motor (LSM) launch system. The nifty thing here is the moment of airtime experienced (backward) while zipping over the speed bump. With a top speed of 63 mph, passengers climb almost to the top of a 150-foot-tall backward spike. The tower has just a slight curve at the top, adding a touch of tilt, making the final plunge even that much more delicious. The straight-down view of the blue pool below is breathtaking.
A section of the track is covered with water in mere seconds to make this huge splash.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
The fascinating part of the ride technology isn’t so much the launch system (ACE has seen that before). It is the innovation involved in filling the brake run with enough water to create an enormous splash in mere seconds. It’s impressive.
The resulting splash does serve as part of the braking system. The LSMs then slowly move the boat into the unload position.
It should be clarified that while the word “boat” adequately describes the vehicle, it at no point floats. It is hooked to the rails at all times. It could most likely be stylized to look like any type of coaster vehicle, as long as the shape of the front effectively sprayed the water.
For a park known to endure summer heat, Six Flags Over Texas has a real winner on its hands. Superlatives such as fast, exhilarating and exceptionally smooth are all words to indicate a crowd pleaser. It took time for Aquaman to finally swim his way to a grand opening, but the thrill was worth the wait.
— Tim Baldwin, ACE News
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