SeaWorld Orlando Announces New Coaster, Mako

May 27, 2015 at 7:22 AM · 73 mph

May 27, 2015 at 9:34 AM · I saw a picture and the ride looked really good. Guess I'll have to put SeaWorld on my list for the next visit if they are getting great attractions as well.

May 27, 2015 at 9:52 AM · This is tremendous news. Adding a proper hyper coaster to the Orlando mix provides a unique attraction of a coaster-type that has broad appeal (no inversions) so will mop up hard-core coaster fans as well as generic visitors. With Kraken, Manta and Atlantis as well SeaWorld will have a strong line-up. It's always been one of my favourite parks - the environment is gorgeous, the pace more relaxed than Disney and less 'in-your-face- than Universal, and the animal and bird attractions were always something unique. We are planning a trip in late 2017 and it's looking as if there'll be major new attractions almost everywhere.

May 27, 2015 at 9:57 AM · Great news! SeaWorld is aggressively attacking the thrill market with this move, and injecting some much needed testosterone into the Orlando coaster scene. I am all for good, narrative family rides, but sometimes you just want to cut loose and ride a real "coaster boy" coaster, and SeaWorld seems to be filling that niche.

If I make it back to Orlando next year, SeaWorld is definitely on my list.

May 27, 2015 at 10:56 AM · As a native born Floridian and long time Orlando resident I'm glad we're finally getting a decent non-inverting airtime machine. This is something we in the coaster community have been asking for, for a number of years now.

May 27, 2015 at 10:56 AM · Hmmmm, may have to go to SeaWorld next year... :-)

May 27, 2015 at 11:00 AM · Is this going to bring Sea World back in the black?
No it's not. The group of hypercoaster enthousiast is a small part of the demographic that is likely to go to Sea World.
The shark display is (although very dated) not going to change (please correct me if I'm wrong). On top of that the theme (in THEME park capital of the world) is very, very light and disapointing.
Yes the coaster looks great and will be fun to ride but only for the same group that does Six Flags and Bush Gardens.

May 27, 2015 at 11:04 AM · Looks Great....
Now Sea World has Manta, Kraken, Atlantis and soon to be added Mako...
Nice job..

And a whole bunch of idiots that constantly post stuff about Blackfish.

May 27, 2015 at 12:53 PM · Admittedly this doesn't look as good as most of B&M's other hyper coasters to me, but as its older sibling (Apollo's Chariot) is my second favorite I have faith that SeaWorld is not going to disappoint. Regardless it is sure to be a really good ride and is different from anything else in the area. If it wasn't before, SeaWorld Orlando is now the coaster capital of Orlando and a must-visit destination for coaster enthusiasts visiting the region.

May 27, 2015 at 1:26 PM · Reminds me of Steel Eel in Sea World San Antonio. This looks like a fun ride and a mjor win for Sea World, plus it looks beautiful to boot!

May 27, 2015 at 1:36 PM · Doesn't appear to be unique in any sort. Think they would have utilized the big lake to have more low level skims past the water as opposed to large hills.

I'm sure it will make for a fun ride, just doesn't branch out of the out and back design enough.

May 27, 2015 at 5:14 PM · I can't wait to ride this bad boy next year! I think it's really smart that SeaWorld is appealing to the iron park demographic and for 2 reasons

-1 SeaWorld isn't owned and operated by a big-name film studio like Disney or Universal, and I doubt that Sesame Street is gonna draw the same amount of people as Frozen or Harry Potter. So they can't heavily rely on IPs. Cedar Fair and Six Flags have been able to make up for this shortcoming with roller coasters, so why can't SeaWorld?

-2 Now iron park fans have a park in Orlando that really appeals to them. Disney and Universal do have outstanding coasters, but the coasters that SeaWorld builds are definitely more up their ally.

However, I also have two problems with this coaster

-1 the name. I guess a real mako would make for a terrifying encounter. But from a marketing standpoint, it sounds kinda dumb. "Coming summer of 2016. Something deadly is lurking in the ocean depths...it's big...it's fast...and it's only at SeaWorld Orlando! Are you brave enough to challenge....MAKO?!" Maybe they should've gone with something like Hunt of the Mako. I'll admit that name's kinda cliche, but at least it's more marketable. And to the ride's credit, Manta isn't exactly a super-cool name either, but a manta is at least a sea creature that most people know.

2- the same problem that Court E has. It's a shark-themed ride, located right next to a huge body of water, and yet it's not really used that much? Talk about a missed opportunity.

Regardless, with it's great height, astounding speed, and ejector airtime, this is still sure to be a really good coaster and definitely unlike anything seen in an Orlando park before

May 28, 2015 at 4:20 PM · Looks great! Finally, a decent hyper coaster in Florida. Although it looks great, it's relatively short for a hyper, and its design leaves a lot to be desired. They really should modify the layout so it's not just out and back. All things considered, I am thrilled that a monster air time machine is coming to Orlando, and this seems to be a really great addition to the park.

May 29, 2015 at 7:17 AM · This was a nice post from Robert. But where's the post on TPI about Busch Gardens Tampa's new Cobra's Curse roller coaster, also opening in 2016?

May 29, 2015 at 11:41 AM · It's right here.

I tried posting that on the Discussion Board side of things, just to see how that worked.