originally posted on 5/26/2023
With Mako in the background, SeaWorld Orlando debuted Pipeline: The Surf Coaster and expanded its varied collection of Bolliger & Mabillard roller coasters.
Photo: Derek Perry. View full-sized image.
Unlike its Ice Breaker predecessor that endured a year's-long pandemic-forced delay, the gestation period for Pipeline: The Surf Coaster was comparatively short – the only drama being the postponement of the project’s announcement from September to October when Hurricane Ian moved across Florida. In time for the busy summer season, SeaWorld Orlando’s newest roller coaster addition is now operational via passholder previews and encouraging enthusiasts to feel the power of the waves.
SeaWorld Orlando’s newest investment breathes life into what was once a sleepy section of the park used infrequently and, with Mako and Ice Breaker, makes the lagoon an exciting place for roller coaster riders and those wishing to observe from a safer distance.
Photo: Derek Perry. View full-sized image.
Statistically speaking, Pipeline: The Surf Coaster is one of the smaller entries in Bolliger & Mabillard’s (B&M’s) portfolio of masterfully engineered roller coasters, and considerably more diminutive than its many other installments across central Florida. With a 60 mph launch into a 110-foot-tall turn, 2,950 feet of track and a single inversion, it isn’t going to achieve any notoriety among enthusiasts based on numbers. Yet as many rides have proved, fun oftentimes trumps the need to break records, and Pipeline: The Surf Coaster is one hell of a fun experience, squeezed into SeaWorld Orlando perfectly between Ice Breaker and Journey Into Atlantis and its Kraken, Manta and Mako trio of heavy hitters. That’s because the coaster offers a new, unexpected twist that, with some luck, will become commonplace in the industry moving forward.
Pipeline: The Surf Coaster’s layout is rooted in dramatic movements and directional changes, from the high-rising first turnaround adjacent to the park’s entrance to a plunge through a fountain into its second half.
Photos: Rob Ascough. View full-sized image.
A new breed of standup coaster – a form largely dormant since 1999’s Georgia Scorcher – Pipeline: The Surf Coaster is not likely to change the opinions of its detractors but is sure to surprise those decidedly more open-minded. And for those interested in coaster trivia, it’s worth noting this particular coaster installation is one of a small number of launched rides from B&M, and the only one in its decades-long history to feature two-abreast “seating.”
With a layout featuring undulating wave-like motions, a single corkscrew rising into the air is Pipeline: The Surf Coaster’s lone inversion.
Photo: Derek Perry. View full-sized image.
Because each seat contains a dynamic suspension system allowing generous vertical movement, the coaster’s twisted course along the shore of SeaWorld Orlando’s lagoon features true moments of airtime, including one that takes place on a small speed hill during the launch. When gravitational forces trend toward negative, the feet of riders are lifted from the floor of the vehicles to allow an amount of levitation, with only B&M’s vest restraints keeping them from freely floating into the skies above. Combined with the company’s typical sinuous twists and graceful curves to simulate the motions of the ocean, even the most critical riders will be left searching for a dull moment, simply because there isn’t one to be found.
SeaWorld Orlando’s collaboration with Bolliger & Mabillard has resulted in a standup coaster with vehicles differing significantly from the company’s previous efforts, highlighted by soft vest restraints and a clever suspension system beneath each seat.
Photo: Derek Perry. View full-sized image.
Pipeline: The Surf Coaster does a fantastic job of breathing new life into a narrow section of the park that, in recent years, was best known for hosting a holiday village during the annual SeaWorld Christmas Celebration. With colorful structures, surf rock music and seashore landscaping elements featuring sand and grasses, SeaWorld Orlando has created a small oceanside paradise perfectly complementing its other marine-themed areas. It will be fascinating to see if the park further expands it to include more, as it appears some space was set aside for minor additions.
SeaWorld Orlando illustrated what is possible with comprehensive and cohesive theming – everything from the ride vehicles to the signage pays homage to surf culture.
Photo: Derek Perry. View full-sized image.
Photo: Rob Ascough. View full-sized image.
SeaWorld Orlando’s newest roller coaster officially debuts on May 27, but as has been the case in the past, the park set aside exclusive time for its passholders to experience Pipeline: The Surf Coaster. Starting on May 12, platinum passholders have been able to sample its seventh coaster – a record among Orlando theme parks – on select dates, and those in lower tiers will be added leading up to its official debut. Good thing because roller coaster riders will want to catch this wave as soon as possible.
Alternating between negative and positive forces, Pipeline: The Surf Coaster is highlighted by a layout without an inch of wasted track.
Photo: Derek Perry. View full-sized image.
— Rob Ascough, ACE News Editor
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