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 Manta
N 28° 24.743 W 081° 27.706
17R E 454771 N 3142972
Manta roller coaster at SeaWorld, Orlando.
Waymark Code: WM7B60
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 09/29/2009
Views: 29
Click Here For Full Ride Video
DESIGN:
Manta is intended to be much more than a roller coaster. The experience begins upon entering the attraction's queue, designed to resemble a seaside village. The village is decorated with mosaics and other artwork inspired by rays. Within the attraction's 4-acre (16,000 m2) site are ten aquariums containing 184,000 gallons of water. 3,000 different animals, representing over 60 species, are visible, including over 300 different rays, such as cownose rays and spotted eagle rays. Sea horses, sea dragons and various tropical fish share the aquarium space. Floor-to-ceiling Plexiglas windows, including a 220-square-foot (20 m2) overhead section, allow guests to observe the animals as if they were underwater themselves. Portions of the aquarium exhibit can also be viewed by guests who do not wish to ride the roller coaster. Non-riding guests can use a second entrance to the attraction area, one that will be separated from those waiting for the roller coaster. Guests in the line for the roller coaster have access to special exhibit components, such as a Plexiglas "pop-up" window into the aquarium.
Manta is a flying roller coaster, which simulates the sensation of flight. In this case, it is meant to resemble how rays—and mantas, in particular—appear to "fly" through the oceans and seas they inhabit. Guests are initially seated upright on the trains, in one of eight rows that each hold four passengers, for a total of 32 riders. Prior to departure, mechanisms in the station raise the cars up to the track, such that the riders' spines are parallel to the track. Guests are secured in their seats using a locking lap bar and a vest-like harness, as well as flaps at the riders' ankles to hold their feet in place.
The cars are highly stylized, with a lead car shaped like a manta ray, complete with a wingspan of 12 feet (3.7 m). The roller coaster will pass extremely close to water, such that the wings will appear to skim the surface. Water jets in the attraction's main lagoon create a "splash effect" as the roller coaster train passes. SeaWorld will be able to adjust various features of the splash effect, such as how long it lasts or how fast the train is traveling when it enters. The roller coaster's color scheme includes "deep purple, ultramarine blue and cobalt."
TRACK LAYOUT:
The roller coaster has 3,359 feet (1,024 m) of track, and reaches a height of 140 feet (43 m). It includes four inversions and reaches speeds in excess of 56 mph. Statistically, this makes Manta the second-longest, tallest and fastest flying roller coaster in the world, behind Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain. In order to control noise, some sections of the track are filled with sand.
Manta begins as the roller coaster train departs the station and climbs the 140-foot-tall lift hill. At the peak, the train dives down towards the right and then swoops upward, passing the attraction's on-ride photo cameras prior to entering the 98-foot-tall pretzel loop. The train dives head-first to the ground and then climbs back to the top of the element. It next takes a U-turn to the left through the pretzel loop, after which it encounters a counter-clockwise in-line twist. As Manta exits the twist, it enters a 270-degree downward helix to the right, passing close to the ground below and crossing through the pretzel loop a second time as it enters its first corkscrew. After the corkscrew, the train climbs up above the station's return track and reaches the mid-course brake run.
Manta enters the second part of the course by diving down towards a lagoon near the theme park entrance, banking to the right as it approaches. The wings of the lead car appear to skim the surface, kicking up a splash of water (created instead by timed water jets). The train rises, still banked to the right, before diving again, this time towards a waterfall as it continues turning to the right. After missing the waterfall by inches, Manta then enters its final inversion, a second corkscrew, prior to a final U-turn leading to the final brake run and the return to the station.
Maximum Height: 140.00
Construction Material: Steel
Train Type: Multi Car
Car Type: Cars Below (Suspended From) Track
Number of Inversions?: 4
Length of Ride: 3,359.00
Duration of Ride (time): 2:35
Water?: Yes
Included in Admission?: Yes
Cost: 0.00 (listed in local currency)
Host Park Name: SeaWorld, Orlando
Minimum Height Restriction?: Yes
Minimum Height Required: 54
Number of Riders: 32
Top Speed: 56
Manufacturer of Ride: Bolliger & Mabillard
URL to Host Park: [Web Link]
Link to Ride Details: [Web Link]
"Express Pass" Available?: Yes
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Visit Instructions:Post a photo of yourself near the entrance of the coaster and try to capture some aspect of the ride. Be sure and describe your ride too!
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