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Pipeline: The Surf Coaster

Pipeline: The Surf Coaster, or simply Pipeline, is a launched roller coaster located at SeaWorld Orlando in Orlando, Florida. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), the roller coaster opened on May 27, 2023. Pipeline is a Surf Coaster model from B&M and is themed to surfing, featuring surfboard-shaped vehicles.

The roller coaster is a first-of-a-kind prototype where the seats of riders shift up and down along the course layout. It reaches a height of 110 feet (34 m) and a maximum speed of 60 mph (97 km/h), and it features a track length of 2,950 feet (900 m). Following Mako, Manta and Kraken, Pipeline is the fourth B&M coaster located at SeaWorld Orlando.

History

Development for a new roller coaster prototype began in 2019, followed by the filing of a patent trademark for "Surf Coaster" by roller coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard on May 28, 2019. A project codenamed "Project Penguin" was revealed in January 2020 after site-work plans were filed with Orange County officials for a new attraction in 2021. The new project was planned to be built toward the front of the park near a pathway that runs along Bayside Stadium. The area had been used in the past for festivals in the park. Subsequent plans were made in June and September 2020, which also confirmed the new project to be a "custom launch coaster" featuring a stand-up restraint design. Early reports speculated that the Surf Coaster model would be built at SeaWorld Orlando.

Teasers for SeaWorld Orlando's new roller coaster began in April 2022. A picture of trees with roller coaster track in the background was depicted in the first teaser. Construction fencing began appearing along the surrounding area. In June 2022, the park teased with the warning, "High surf advisory". The teaser warning would later be used as a hashtag to tease and promote the roller coaster on social media. Due to the fallout from Hurricane Ian in September 2022, the official unveiling of the new coaster in an announcement was delayed.

The final teaser video was released in early October 2022. In the video, the attraction's construction progress was on display. On October 18, 2022, the park officially unveiled Pipeline: The Surf Coaster in an announcement. The scheduled opening was revealed to be spring of 2023. It was marketed as the first surf coaster in the world. Track construction went vertical in late October 2022. Pipeline's trains were put on display at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Expo on November 15, 2022.

Construction of the track completed a month later on December 19, 2022, which was followed by testing in March 2023. The official opening date was revealed as May 27, 2023, with a soft opening preview period for passholders starting on May 12, 2023.

Ride experience

After exiting the station, the surfboard-themed train launches 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) into a 110 feet (34 m) overbanked turn to the right. Following the overbanked turn, the train turns left into an inversion billed as the "wave curl" inversion by the park, before the train goes up and turns right into one of two helix elements. After succeeding the 360° helix, the train immediately turns into a second overbanked turn. Traveling into a banked airtime hill, the train turns right and then whips to the left into a second, 270° helix. Then, the train turns left immediately after the helix, before turning right, into the final brake run. The total duration for the roller coaster is approximately one minute and fifty seconds.

Characteristics

Pipeline: The Surf Coaster is a surf coaster model manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard. Though the ride strikes similarities with the stand-up roller coaster model, the ride was clarified as not being one, as stated by Jonathan Smith, SeaWorld's vice president of rides and engineering. Smith expressed at the IAAPA Expo on November 15, 2022 that the differences were that unlike stand-up roller coasters where riders stand "erect", the restraints on surf coasters have movement. The roller coaster is the fourth Bolliger & Mabillard roller coaster at SeaWorld Orlando, the other three being Mako, Manta and Kraken.

Track

The steel track for Pipeline: The Surf Coaster is approximately 2,950 feet (900 m) long and the height of the highest peak, the first overbanked turn, is 110 feet (34 m). The color of the track is teal and the supports are white.

Theme

Pipeline: The Surf Coaster is themed to surfing, especially surfing cultures in California and Australia. The park bills the launch section of the roller coaster as a "surfing launch", along with "wave jumping motions", which shift rider's seats up and down to resemble the feeling of surfing. Additionally, the roller coaster's trains are designed to mimic surfboards. The roller coaster's only inversion is titled the "wave curl" inversion, which is based on the "cork alley oop" surfing maneuver.