Georgia Surfer is an upcoming steel launched shuttle roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, Georgia, opening in 2025.[2][3]
| Georgia Surfer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Six Flags Over Georgia | |
| Location | Six Flags Over Georgia |
| Park section | ScreamPunk |
| Status | Under construction |
| Cost | $13,000,000[1] |
| Replaced | Splashwater Falls |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Shuttle – Launched |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Model | Ultra Surf |
| Track layout | Out and Back |
| Height | 144 ft (44 m) |
| Length | 590 ft (180 m) |
| Speed | 60 mph (97 km/h) |
| Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
| Trains | Single train with 2 cars, each seating 10 for a total of 20 riders per train |
| Georgia Surfer at RCDB | |
History
editOrigins
editLiechtenstein-based Intamin first revealed their upgraded Ultra Surf roller coaster concept in July 2021, allowing the rotating vehicles to traverse a shuttle track and interact with water features.[4] The first of these would have gone to NovaWorld Phan Thiet, a new theme and water park resort in Bình Thuận province, Vietnam.[5] The planned adventure park however was unexpectedly cancelled, and in December 2022 the project's intended collection of rides – including the coaster – were listed for sale.[6]
In response to November 2022's plummeting attendance figures and tensions with shareholders, then-Six Flags leadership began purchasing whatever attractions they could have delivered to their parks as quickly as possible.[7][8] While Kid Flash Cosmic Coaster was procured due to the manufacturer's flexibility, the chain worked with Vekoma to secure coasters that had already been manufactured for cancelled international projects, such as Rookie Racer at Six Flags St. Louis and The Flash: Vertical Velocity at Six Flags Great Adventure.[9] Intamin's Ultra Surf coaster itself had already been partially manufactured, with some hardware having already been delivered to Vietnam and the rest remaining at Stakotra Manufacturing in Piešťany, Slovakia.
Announcement and Construction
editSix Flags Over Georgia commenced demolition of the remaining Splashwater Falls concrete pool in June 2023; the former Hopkins Rides Shoot the chute had operated at the park from 1986 to 2018.[10] Leading up to the announcement, park social media cryptically referred to actions such as "launch" and "spinning".[11][12] A faux cargo box was placed in the park, featuring stamps from five different countries; they were eventually determined to be locations of Intamin's offices.[13][14]
On August 19, 2023, the park announced a new unnamed roller coaster for the 2024 season, the first-of-its-kind type of coaster to their park.[15] A naming contest was held; more than 2,500 suggestions were submitted and later narrowed down to three, with Georgia Surfer emerging as the winner in February 2024.[16][17][18]
On August 12, 2024, Six Flags Over Georgia announced on their social media that the roller coaster had been postponed until 2025.[3] The park blamed the delay on supply chain issues and challenges associated with developing the prototype, but assured that it would be ready for their seasonal opening in 2025.[1][2]
Ride experience
editGeorgia Surfer is 144 feet (44 m) in height, reaches a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), and has a track length of 590 feet (180 m).[16] The ride features one train with two circular cars that each seats 10 riders.[19]
The roller coaster will launch forward and backwards along the track, reaching speeds of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) during its course. At the ending of the ride, the coaster train will feature a splashdown in a pool of water.[16]
References
edit- ^ a b Theme Parks To The Max (August 17, 2024). "🚨 Georgia Surfer OFFICIAL Update 🚨 Opening Date Announced!". YouTube. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Six Flags Over Georgia August 12 post on Facebook". Facebook. 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
- ^ a b Taylor, Blake (2024-08-12). "Two roller coasters delayed to 2025 at Six Flags parks". Attraction Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ Coates, Charlotte (July 19, 2021). "Intamin announces upgraded Surf Family coasters". Blooloop. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ "Có gì tại Novadreams Adventure World được kỳ vọng là Disney Việt Nam?". charmington.org (in Vietnamese). September 21, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ "Een eigen pretpark beginnen? Pakket met 23 attracties te koop". Looopings (in Dutch). December 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Mooney, Michael (November 29, 2022). "The rapid decline of Six Flags". Axios. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Six Flags (November 16, 2022). "Coaster-sized plans are coming together at IAAPA!". LinkedIn. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ "Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (SIX) Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript". Seeking Alpha. August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Mekmcc (June 23, 2023). "Construction at [Six Flags Over Georgia] in the old water ride plot". Reddit. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ @sfovergeorgia (August 5, 2023). "Who's ready to LAUNCH into a new month? 🚀" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @sfovergeorgia (July 25, 2023). "8.19.23" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @sfovergeorgia (July 31, 2023). "#whatsinthebox #coasterfest" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ TDChrisGO (August 6, 2023). "Six Flags Over Georgia Project 2024: Georgia Surfer (Intamin Ultra Surf)". ParkFans. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ "New 'Ultra Surf' ride to splash into Six Flags Over Georgia in 2024". WAGA-TV. 2023-08-24. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ a b c Hicks, Nelson (2023-08-21). "Six Flags unveils plans for new roller coaster with splash zone". WSB-TV. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ Winborne, Jeffery (2024-02-01). "Six Flags Over Georgia reveals winning name for newest roller coaster". WBRC. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ Moore, Jessica (2024-02-01). "First-of-its-kind rollercoaster to debut at Six Flags Over Georgia this summer". WXIA-TV. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Georgia Surfer (Six Flags Over Georgia)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved July 24, 2020.