SeaWorld San Diego Opening Tidal Twister in 2019

SeaWorld San Diego announced today plans for Tidal Twister, a first-of-its-kind compact dueling coaster that will open in 2019.

Tidal Twister will accelerate riders to a top speed of 30 mph, twisting and banking through a figure 8-shaped track with a zero-G roll at the center.

Tidal Twister’s two trains will seat 16 riders each — facing forward and backward. The two trains will load at opposite ends of the figure-8-shaped track.

During the course of the ride, they will cross at the center — one train upright and one inverted below in the zero-G roll.

Tidal Twister will be the world’s first “Horizon” ride from Skyline Attractions.

Rendering of Skyline Attractions’ Harley Quinn Crazy Coaster at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

The concept is similar to the company’s Skywarp model, the first of which opened at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom earlier this year.

At the 2017 IAAPA Attractions Expo, C101 writer Andrew Stilwell interviewed Skyline Attractions’ design engineer Adam Yerdon about the “Horizon” attraction that the company was showcasing.

When asked how and why the Horizon model was designed, Yerdon said:

We get a lot of requests from customers who say, ‘we want Skywarp, but we want it bigger.’ Or ‘we don’t have enough room for a Skywarp…’

We said, ‘what can we do in that same tradition as Skywarp? Something that would feel like that same family but would fit inside?’

That’s where Horizon came about. Something that’s very small, fits in a 55’x120’ space, still lives under that 30’ ceiling, but is still awesome. It’s a thrill ride. It’s a roller coaster. It has that corkscrew with an airtime hill right over the top of it. And that’s ultimately how Horizon came to be.

We reported in July that SeaWorld San Diego was believed to be the recipient of one of these attractions.

A relatively low height requirement of 48 inches means that Tidal Twister will be a ride that families can experience together.

Watch an animation of Tidal Twister in action below:

What do you think about SeaWorld San Diego’s plans for 2019? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.