"Mako" Hyper Coaster Coming to SeaWorld in 2016

Surfacing summer 2016 at SeaWorld Orlando will be Mako, a new, 200-foot-tall hypercoaster that will reach 73 mph along 4,760 feet of steel track (nearly a mile long) and leave riders feeling both breathless and weightless. Named for one of the ocean’s fastest known sharks, Mako will be the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster in the Orlando area. Hypercoasters are known for high speeds and steep drops and hills that create a feeling of weightlessness or “air time.”

Mako’s tight turns and speed are inspired by reality. Mako sharks are known for their top speed, making extreme jumps and the ability to quickly change course as they pursue their prey.

“On Mako, you’ll experience what it’s like to be this apex predator, surging through the water at top speed and chasing prey throughout a massive reef,” said Brian Morrow, SeaWorld’s attraction creative director. “It will be a wild mix of fear, thrills and fun.”

Mako is manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, a company renowned among coaster enthusiasts. B&M has built many of the world’s top roller coasters, including SeaWorld’s Manta and Kraken, and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s SheiKra.

SeaWorld’s new hypercoaster will be the centerpiece of the newly themed surrounding realm. The two-acre plaza now will be fully shark themed including Mako, Shark Encounter, Sharks Underwater Grill, shops,  shark and shipwreck theming and educational experiences featuring sharks.

The entire realm is created to make guests feel they’re underwater, part of the group of sharks and toothy animals that have taken over a shipwrecked reef.

In the plaza, guests will learn about the impact humans are having on sharks and why these animals are critical to the environment. Sharks are hunted for their fins — considered a delicacy in certain countries — and thousands are caught accidentally in nets. Several species of sharks are on the verge of extinction. 

“It’s this blend of education and thrills, immersing guests in an underwater world, that sets a SeaWorld ride apart from others,” said Morrow. “Our fans will love how Mako complements our other rides. Kraken is big, monstrous and twisty. Manta is massive and glides smoothly, taking you on a flight like a huge ray. Mako is entirely different. It’s streamlined and fast, just like a mako shark. There’s no wasted motion, it’s all speed and dives.”

Mako uses a unique sound system to enhance the experience, and not just for those on the ride. The full score of Mako can be heard and follows riders out of the station and up the lift hill. Custom surround effects and musical scores fill the realm, changing as the coaster dives through the area.

At night, specialty lights will accent the coaster trains, realm and track, flickering and shimmering, simulating fish being scattered by a mako on the hunt.

FACTS ABOUT MAKO:

Opening date: Summer 2016.

Theme: Surge through a shipwreck reef as the shark and experience the ocean as an apex predator on SeaWorld’s all-new hypercoaster, Mako, Orlando’s tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster.

Type: Hypercoaster. This class of roller coasters is known for multiple, tall hills and high speeds, providing near weightless “air time.” Some coaster enthusiasts say that hypercoasters are the essence of the extreme coaster experience.

Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard, Switzerland. With a portfolio that includes nearly 100 coasters throughout the world, B&M is renowned for the quality of their design. 

Inspiration: The ride is inspired by one of the ocean’s fastest sharks, the mako.

Queue line: As guests anticipate boarding the coaster, even the queue brings them into an undersea theme. Riders feel as though they are floating under a pier, winding through shipwrecks and shadows. 

Height: 200 feet. The top of the crane in the following photos represents the highest point of the coaster:

Max Speed: 73 mph. No other coaster in Orlando currently reaches that speed (not even Kraken):

Length: 4,760 feet (nearly a mile).

Number of air-time hills: Nine.

Minimum rider height: 54 inches

Track over water: 1,864 feet

G-forces: Mako provides plenty of negative Gs, giving riders the hypercoaster’s fun, out-of-your-seat feeling. 

• Negative g-forces cause the weightless feeling when you come over the crest of a hill.
• Positive g-forces create the “push-you-in-your-seat” feeling riders feel at the bottom of a hill or in tight turns.

Sound system: A 48,000-watt, intelligent surround-sound system envelops the realm. Sounds follow the coaster trains as they dive through and around the area … and just over guests’ heads.

Coaster trains: Custom-designed, inspired by the mako, in steel origami form. 

The realm: Seven acres (including Mako footprint and shark realm). The new pathway through this area will be reminiscent of a giant shipwreck, with shark theming throughout.

Follow the Mako frenzy using the hashtag #NothingFaster and visit SeaWorldOrlando.com.

ARTWORKS: © 2015 SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.