Wikipedia

Dive Coaster

This article is about the roller coaster model. For the Dive Coaster at Chimelong Paradise, see Dive Coaster (Chimelong Paradise). For the Dive Coaster at Happy Valley Shanghai, see Diving Coaster.

The Dive Coaster is a steel roller coaster model developed and engineered by Bolliger & Mabillard. The design features one or more near-vertical drops that are approximately 90 degrees, which provide a moment of free-falling for passengers. The experience is enhanced by unique trains that seat up to ten riders per row, spanning only two or three rows total. Unlike traditional train design, this distinguishing aspect gives all passengers virtually the same experience throughout the course of the ride. Another defining characteristic of Dive Coasters is the holding brake at the top of the lift hill that holds the train momentarily right as it enters the first drop, suspending some passengers with a view looking straight down and releasing suddenly moments later.

Dive Coaster
Griffon, Busch Gardens Williamsburg
StatusIn production
First manufactured1998
No. of installations14
ManufacturerBolliger & Mabillard
Vehicle typeFloorless or normal seats located above the track
Rows2/3
Riders per row6/7/8/10
Restraint StyleOver-the-shoulder/Vest restraint
Dive Coaster at RCDB

Development of the Dive Coaster began between 1994 and 1995 with Oblivion at Alton Towers opening on March 14, 1998, making it the world's first Dive Coaster. The trains for this type of coaster are relatively short consisting of two to three cars. B&M also uses floorless trains on this model to enhance the experience. As of May 10, 2024, seventeen Dive Coasters have been built, with the newest being Iron Menace at Dorney Park which features a drop of 152 feet or 46 meters. Featuring a height of 68 m (223 ft), a length of 1,105 m (3,625 ft), and a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph), Yukon Striker, as of 2019, was the world's tallest, longest, and fastest Dive Coaster.

Baron 1898, a themed dive coaster at Efteling in The Netherlands

History

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According to Walter Bolliger, development of the Dive Coaster began between 1994 and 1995.[1] On March 14, 1998, the world's first Dive Coaster, Oblivion, opened at Alton Towers. Though Oblivion is classified as a Dive Coaster, it does not have a true vertical drop as the drop angle is 87-degrees.[2] Two years later, the second Dive Coaster built, Diving Machine G5, opened at Janfusun Fancyworld and also does not have a vertical drop.[3] In 2005, SheiKra opened at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and was the first Dive Coaster to feature a 90-degree drop and a splashdown element.[4][5] In 2007, Busch Gardens Williamsburg announced that Griffon would be the first ever Dive Coaster to feature floorless trains[6] and SheiKra would have its trains replaced with floorless ones.[7][8] In 2011, the first 'mini' Dive Coaster opened at Heide Park Resort, named Krake. Unlike other Dive Coasters, Krake has smaller trains consisting of three rows of six riders.[9] In 2019, Yukon Striker at Canada's Wonderland was the first Dive Coaster to feature a vertical loop, allowing it to have the most inversions on a Dive Coaster with four in total.[10] On July 30 2022, Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger at Six Flags Fiesta Texas is the first B&M Dive Coaster to feature a beyond vertical (95°) drop and 7-across seating.

Design

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An example of a floorless Dive Coaster train on SheiKra

The design of a Dive Coaster can vary slightly from one to another. Depending on the amusement park's request, one row on the train can seat anywhere from 6 to 10 riders. Stadium seating is also used to give every rider a clear view. Next, compared to standard Bolliger & Mabillard 4 abreast cars, because of the extra weight of each train on a Dive Coaster, the size of the track must be larger than other B&M models (such as the Hyper Coaster) to support the weight.[11] At the top of the primary vertical drop, a braking system holds the train for 3 to 5 seconds, giving riders a view of the drop ahead before being released into the drop.[12][13]

In the station, Dive Coasters that use non-floorless trains simply use a standard station. With Dive Coasters that use floorless trains, in order to allow riders to load and unload the train, a movable floor is necessary. Because the front row has nothing in front of it to stop riders from walking over the edge of the station, a gate is placed in front of the train to prevent this from happening. Once all the over-the-shoulder restraints are locked, the gate opens and the floor separates into several pieces and moves underneath the station.[12] When the next train enters the station, the gate is closed and the floors are brought back up where the next riders board.[12]

Installations

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Bolliger & Mabillard has built sixteen Dive Coasters as of 2023.

Name Park Country Opened Status
Oblivion Alton Towers   United Kingdom March 14, 1998 Operating [2]
Diving Machine G5 Janfusun Fancyworld   Taiwan March 29, 2000 Operating [3]
SheiKra Busch Gardens Tampa Bay   United States May 21, 2005 Operating [4]
Griffon Busch Gardens Williamsburg   United States May 18, 2007 Operating [14]
Dive Coaster Chimelong Paradise   China January 21, 2008 Operating [15]
Diving Coaster Happy Valley Shanghai   China August 16, 2009 Operating [16]
Krake Heide Park   Germany April 16, 2011 Operating [9]
Oblivion: The Black Hole Gardaland   Italy March 28, 2015 Operating [17]
Baron 1898 Efteling   Netherlands June 30, 2015 Operating [18]
Valravn Cedar Point  United States May 7, 2016 Operating [19]
Flying Apsaras in Western Region Happy Valley Chengdu   China February 10, 2018 Operating [20]
Draken Gyeongju World   South Korea May 1, 2018 Operating [21]
Valkyria Liseberg   Sweden August 10, 2018 Operating [22]
Yukon Striker Canada's Wonderland   Canada May 3, 2019 Operating [23]
Emperor SeaWorld San Diego   United States March 12, 2022 Operating [24]
Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger Six Flags Fiesta Texas   United States July 30, 2022 Operating [25]
Iron Menace Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom   United States May 10, 2024 Operating [26]
Wrath of Rakshasa Six Flags Great America   United States 2025 Under Construction [27]

Similar coasters

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HangTime, a Gerstlauer roller coaster located at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, has been marketed as "the first dive coaster on the West Coast".[28]

In 2018, Golden Horse, a Chinese amusement ride manufacturer infamous for creating knock-off coasters and rides, installed a Dive Coaster at Great Xingdong Tourist World. The trains contain four cars, each seating 6 riders per row, compared to B&M dive coasters, which have two or three cars per train.[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "IAAPA 2011 Trade Show Part 4 Theme Park Review Fishpipe Water Ride B&M Zamperla". Theme Park Review. YouTube. November 16, 2012. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Oblivion  (Alton Towers)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  3. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Diving Machine G5 / 飛天潛艇 G5  (Janfusun Fancyworld)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  4. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "SheiKra  (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  5. ^ "Splashdown Bolliger & Mabillard". Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  6. ^ "Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg Roller Coaster Review". About.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  7. ^ "SheiKra to have new floorless trains installed". COASTER-net. February 2, 2007. Archived from the original on December 19, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  8. ^ "Bolliger & Mabillard Dive Machine". Roller Coaster Database. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  9. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Krake  (Heide Park Resort)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  10. ^ Levine, Arthur (August 15, 2018). "Canada's Wonderland: Record-breaking Yukon Striker coaster announced". USA Today. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  11. ^ "Scott & Carol Present: Getting On Track With B&M". NewsPlusNotes. December 11, 2008. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  12. ^ a b c "Griffon (HD)". SeanFlaharty. August 16, 2009. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  13. ^ "Coaster opens May 25". Daily Press. March 21, 2007. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  14. ^ Marden, Duane. "Griffon  (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  15. ^ Marden, Duane. "Dive Coaster / 垂直过山车  (Chimelong Paradise)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  16. ^ Marden, Duane. "Diving Coaster / 绝顶雄风  (Happy Valley Shanghai)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  17. ^ Marden, Duane. "Oblivion: The Black Hole  (Gardaland)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  18. ^ Marden, Duane. "Baron 1898  (Efteling)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  19. ^ Ellen Creager (September 4, 2015). "Cedar Point's ride would be area's only dive coaster". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  20. ^ Marden, Duane. "Flying Apsaras in Western Region / 西域飞天  (Happy Valley Chengdu)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  21. ^ Marden, Duane. "Draken / 드라켄  (Gyeongju World)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  22. ^ Marden, Duane. "Valkyria  (Liseberg)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  23. ^ Marden, Duane. "Yukon Striker  (Canada's Wonderland)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  24. ^ Marden, Duane. "Emperor  (SeaWorld San Diego)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  25. ^ Marden, Duane. "Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger  (Six Flags Fiesta Texas)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  26. ^ Marden, Duane. "Iron Menace  (Dorney Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  27. ^ Marden, Duane. "Wrath of Rakshasa  (Six Flags Great America)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  28. ^ "HangTime | First Dive Coaster On the West Coast | Knott's Berry Farm". www.knotts.com. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  29. ^ "Vertical Roller Coaster - Great Xingdong Tourist World (Puding, Anshun, Guizhou, China)". rcdb.com. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
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