The Great White is an inverted roller coaster at SeaWorld San Antonio,[1] and the first roller coaster to be built at a SeaWorld park. It is not only the first inverted roller coaster in Texas, but also the first one in the state to be built by Bolliger & Mabillard.[2]
| The Great White | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The Great White | |
| SeaWorld San Antonio | |
| Location | SeaWorld San Antonio |
| Coordinates | 29°27′08″N 98°41′47″W / 29.452270°N 98.696517°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | February 1997 |
| Cost | US$21,000,000 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Inverted |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Inverted Coaster - Batman |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 108 ft (33 m) |
| Drop | 81.2 ft (24.7 m) |
| Length | 2,562 ft (781 m) |
| Speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| Inversions | 5 |
| Duration | 2:00 |
| Capacity | 1400 riders per hour |
| G-force | 4.6 |
| Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
| Trains | 2 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train. |
 Quick Queue available | |
| The Great White at RCDB | |
Characteristics
editDespite its shortened track length, The Great White follows an identical ride layout as the Batman the Ride coasters at numerous Six Flags parks. At 2,562 feet (about 150 shorter than Batman's 2,693 foot layout), the coaster doesn't allow riders as much time to "recuperate" between inversions, consequently offering an extreme, forceful ride experience. Furthermore, The Great White sits lower to the ground, often deceiving its riders with elements such as "foot-choppers" as there are many trees and shrubs surrounding the coaster's track. The Great White is sometimes considered to be more intense than its Six Flags' cousin because of its added 8th row (Goliath has only seven rows per train) and shorter track length (2,562 feet, compared to Goliath's 2,700 feet. Its layout consists of the following inversions:
- a Vertical Loop
- a Zero-G Roll
- a second Vertical Loop
- a Wingover
- a second Wingover[3]
When The Great White opened, its queue line wrapped around a large-scale shark aquarium, similar to the manta aquariums found in SeaWorld Orlando's eponymous flying coaster Manta, opened in 2009. Unlike Manta, however, The Great White did not offer separate entrances for riders and non-riders to view its aquarium exhibit. The display was later removed.[4] SeaWorld San Antonio's shark exhibit was relocated to Discovery Point's 450,000 gallon Explorer's Reef aquarium, which additionally offers Shark Tours.[5] [6]
References
edit
- ^ Fodor's (2008). Fodor's Texas. Fodor's travel guides (1st ed.). New York: Fodor's Travel. ISBN 978-1400007196.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "SeaWorld San Antonio (San Antonio, Texas, USA)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Great White - SeaWorld San Antonio (San Antonio, Texas, USA)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ "Great White at SeaWorld San Antonio.", COASTER-net.com, retrieved April 20, 2024
- ^ "Seaworld Explorer's Reef - Texas Shark Exhibits - SeaWorld San Antonio.", SeaWorld.com, retrieved April 20, 2024
- ^ "2024 SeaWorld San Antonio Park Map." (PDF), SeaWorld.com, SeaWorld San Antonio, retrieved April 20, 2024
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