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Manta flying coaster riders to get wet at SeaWorld Orlando

Manta At SeaWorld Orlando

The new mantra for SeaWorld Orlando in 2009: See a manta, be a manta.

Debuting at the Florida amusement-marine park in May ‘09, the Manta flying roller coaster will soar to 140 feet, swoop at speeds reaching 56 mph through four inversions, and splash through a lagoon with a wingtip-dip maneuver that has thrill-ride enthusiasts salivating.

Suspended from a hanging coaster, riders fly face down in a horizontal position beneath a giant manta ray with a 12-foot wingspan. Tilting to the side, Manta’s wing skims the lagoon’s surface during the final maneuver of the 2 ½-minute ride, spraying the riders with water.

Before boarding, visitors walk through a queue featuring 10 floor-to-ceiling aquariums with 300 rays of varying types: leopard, cow-nose, river, spotted eagle and shark rays.

See more Manta concept art at Screamscape, behind-the-scenes Manta tour video at Coaster Force and Florida Thrills as well as Manta construction photos at Theme Park Review, Johnny Upsidedown, Orlando United and Orlando Rocks. Check out the Orlando Sentinel’s Theme Park Rangers blog for the latest ride test video.

Find the latest amusement and theme park news at the Los Angeles Times Funland blog: www.latimes.com/funland. Follow Funland on Twitter.

— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times staff writer

Image: SeaWorld

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at 1:24 pm by Brady MacDonald and is filed under Family & Kids, Florida, Southern States, Theme Parks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.

5 Comments on “Manta flying coaster riders to get wet at SeaWorld Orlando”

Mary Frances Emmons Says:
April 21st, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Hi,Brady, greetings from your sister paper in Orlando, where we have tons, TONS, of Manta content and more coming all the time, feel free to check us out! OrlandoSentinel.com/themeparkranger
Mary Frances Emmons Says:
April 21st, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Whoops bad typing that’s orlandosentinel.com/themeparkrangers with an S…
Laura Says:
May 19th, 2009 at 4:00 am
Heyy i think this ride is really cool and i cant wait to go to florida sea world again for the 5th time and go on it! It looks so amazing im soo excited guys thanks for building this ride =] x
Amber Says:
May 25th, 2009 at 10:41 am
This New Flying Coaster Looks Awsom I’m Maybe Going There For My 9th Birthday I Can’t Wait To Go On That Flying Coaster Because i’m Turning 9 July 25 2009 It Is Going To Be The Best Birthday I Had Ever Had I Have Been To Sea World Before But This Time It Is Going To Be So So Fun In My In Tire Life I Just Going To Be Very Excited To Me And My Family We Love Animals So Much……………….
online travel guide Says:
June 7th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Did it yesterday. Super scary. But so is the $75 to get in!