SeaWorld San Diego announced that they’ll be opening their third new roller coaster in three years in 2020, and it’s going to be a first for the West Coast.
The first B&M Dive Coaster on the West Coast is coming to SeaWorld San Diego in 2020 (courtesy SeaWorld San Diego)
At a community event over the weekend the park revealed that 2020 will bring a new B&M Dive Coaster to the park called Mako (not to be confused with the Mako at SeaWorld Orlando) Emperor. Emperor will be the fifth B&M Dive Coaster in North America when it opens. The coaster will be 153 feet tall, smaller than other North American dive coasters but comparable to several in Europe. It will also only carry six riders per row, fewer than the other North American coasters. Emperor will have the signature vertical drop of the B&M dive coasters, reach speeds up to 60 mph, and be over 2500 feet in length. Emperor will be the tallest coaster in the park when it opens.
The new coaster will be located next to the Journey to Atlantis water coaster in an area that’s currently a parking lot. As with most SeaWorld rides, there will be an animal education and conservation element to it. Not surprisingly, Emperor will be tied to shark penguin conservation and awareness, and the park will be partnering with a penguin conservation organization on the ride.
Emperor will be another step in turning SeaWorld San Diego into a park that was for a long time primarily focused on its animal attractions (especially compared to SeaWorld Orlando) into a broader theme park with a large collection of rides. The ride will bring the total coaster count at the park to five, after Electric Eel opened this past year and Tidal Twister opens later this year. SeaWorld San Diego is becoming a park that roller coaster enthusiasts will need to put on their “to visit” lists.
SeaWorld San Diego is opening Tidal Twister later this year, and opened Electric Eel last year.
Details on the attraction are still pretty scant, and no doubt more will come out over the course of the year. Construction is expected to start in mid-2019. The park announced some other smaller updates at the event, and Behind the Thrills has some excellent coverage of the whole community event, go check out their post. You can also find answers to a lot of questions from SeaWorldNews on Twitter. And for more on SeaWorld San Diego check out their official site. We’ll make sure to let you know more about Emperor as we learn more.
Who here thought that Seaworld San Diego would get a coaster in 2020?
Three major rides in three years is pretty surprising.
Even with the leaks of all the parks except for Sea World San Diego and Sesame Place. Could Sesame Place also get a coaster in 2020?