Yesterday I was a guest at SeaWorld Orlando for their media day announcing Mako, their new hypercoaster that will open in the summer of 2016. I am not a big coaster enthusiast, but I know a lot of you are. Mako is going to be the tallest, fastest and longest coaster in Orlando. Take a look at the announcement video.
Pretty cool, huh? Mako is a hypercoaster, this class of roller coaster is known for multiple tall hills and high speeds providing near weightless “air time”. many coaster enthusiasts say that hypercoasters are the essence of the extreme coaster experience. While riding Mako guests will surge through a shipwreck reef as the shark and experience the ocean as an apex predator. Even the queue brings guests into the undersea realm as riders feel as though they are floating under a pier, winding through shipwrecks and shadows.
The first drop, a 75-degree 200 foot drop, has riders careening at 73mph! That is just the beginning of this almost mile long roller coaster ride. The track includes 9 “air time” hills to give them the negative g-forces as they crest the hills and the positive g-forces at the bottom of the hills and in the tight turns. A 48,000 watt, intelligent surround sound system envelopes the realm. Sounds will follow the coaster trains as they dive through and around Shark Realm!
As I said, Mako is 200 feet tall. To get a feeling for how high that is, SeaWorld took us up 200 feet in the bucket of a crane! The view of the area was magnificient!
Mako will join the 4 other distinctly different roller coasters at SeaWorld Orlando:
Shamu Express-the perfect first coaster ride for kids
Journey to Atlantis-a family water coaster that transports guests to the mythical city of Atlantis
Manta-a flying coaster with loops and inversions
Kraken– a twisting, floorless coaster with loops and inversions
I can’t wait to see the upgrades to Shark Realm and Mako as she rises into the sky over SeaWorld Orlando. Would you like to ride Mako or are you a chicken line me?
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