SeaWorld San Diego To Open New Roller Coaster In 2019

SAN DIEGO, CA – SeaWorld announced Tuesday that a roller coaster called the "Tidal Twister" is scheduled to open next spring.

SeaWorld officials held a "cake breaking" ceremony in lieu of a groundbreaking to celebrate the announcement of the new ride, which is slated to be operational in May. The Tidal Twister is the first of its kind, according to the park. Described as a dueling horizontal roller coaster developed by Florida-based ride manufacturer Skyline Attractions, two 16-passenger trains will accelerate up to 30 miles per hour on a figure-8 track with a rolling section at the center.

"There is no other coaster experience in the world like Tidal Twister," said SeaWorld San Diego Park President Marilyn Hannes. "The two trains duel one another and guests will see the excitement on the faces of other riders. You'll almost feel like you can reach out and touch them. The tight turns, the inversion and the airtime hill will leave our guests wondering which way is up."

The Tidal Twister will sit next to the Aquaria touch tank and aquarium and feature elements encouraging oceanic conservation and sustainability from Rising Tide Conservation, a collaborative aquaculture research effort SeaWorld launched in 2009. Rising Tide Conservation seeks an alternative to the collection of wild fish and the damage it can cause to coral reefs, according to SeaWorld.

"I am so excited that SeaWorld San Diego is part of the Rising Tide Conservation team," said Mike Price, SeaWorld's fish curator. "Creating sustainable populations of these marine fishes helps support health fish populations, which are a cornerstone of maintaining healthy active coral reefs. It's great to help advance this groundbreaking science here at the park."

By City News Service

Image via SeaWorld San Diego