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Manta (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
Manta is a roller coaster
at SeaWorld Orlando
. Designed by Bolliger and Mabillard, Manta allows guests to encounter numerous species of ray
s before boarding a manta-shaped
train that takes them on a soaring, gliding journey above the park.
The attraction officially opened to the public on May 22, 2009.
, but that it would be much more than just a roller coaster. Regarding the design of the attraction, Joseph Couceiro, vice president of sales and marketing, said:
Artists' concepts of the new attraction were leaked onto the Internet in April 2008; however, SeaWorld officials would not acknowledge if the images were accurate representations of the attraction's final design, although they suggested that the roller coaster would have a "gliding" sensation. At the same time, searches of trademark
applications uncovered an entry for the use of the term "Manta" as an amusement ride, and construction on a large site within the park had already commenced. On May 29, 2008 park officials confirmed that the attraction would indeed be named Manta, and further revealed additional details about the attraction.
Construction of the roller coaster track and the attraction buildings began in September 2008, with the track completed in December 2008 and the rest continuing into early 2009. SeaWorld began previewing the attraction in early May 2009, leading up to its official opening, May 22.
, designed to resemble a seaside village. The village is decorated with mosaic
s and other artwork inspired by rays. Within the attraction's 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) site are ten aquarium
s containing 184,000 gallon
s of water. 3,000 different animals, representing over 60 species, are visible, including over 300 different rays, such as cownose ray
s and spotted eagle ray
s. Sea horses, sea dragon
s and various tropical fish share the aquarium space. Floor-to-ceiling Plexiglas windows, including a 220 square feet (20.4 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' ankle
s 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."
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 feet (42.7 m)-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 feet (29.9 m)-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 inline 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.
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
at SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando is a theme park, and marine-life based zoological park, near Orlando, Florida. It is owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a subsidiary of The Blackstone Group...
. Designed by Bolliger and Mabillard, Manta allows guests to encounter numerous species of ray
Rajiformes
Rajiformes is one of the four orders of batoids, flattened cartilaginous fishes related to sharks.Rajiforms are distinguished by the presence of greatly enlarged pectoral fins, which reach as far forward as the sides of the head, with a generally flattened body. The undulatory pectoral fin motion...
s before boarding a manta-shaped
Manta ray
The manta ray is the largest species of the rays. The largest known specimen was more than across, with a weight of about . It ranges throughout waters of the world, typically around coral reefs...
train that takes them on a soaring, gliding journey above the park.
The attraction officially opened to the public on May 22, 2009.
History
The concept that was to become Manta was first revealed by SeaWorld Orlando to a gathering of travel and community leaders on April 2, 2008, although it had been in the planning stages for years before. The exact specifications and details were not immediately revealed, although it was noted that this would be the largest single investment in the history of any SeaWorld park, and that it would open sometime in 2009. It was further noted that the attraction would include a roller coasterRoller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
, but that it would be much more than just a roller coaster. Regarding the design of the attraction, Joseph Couceiro, vice president of sales and marketing, said:
Artists' concepts of the new attraction were leaked onto the Internet in April 2008; however, SeaWorld officials would not acknowledge if the images were accurate representations of the attraction's final design, although they suggested that the roller coaster would have a "gliding" sensation. At the same time, searches of trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
applications uncovered an entry for the use of the term "Manta" as an amusement ride, and construction on a large site within the park had already commenced. On May 29, 2008 park officials confirmed that the attraction would indeed be named Manta, and further revealed additional details about the attraction.
Construction of the roller coaster track and the attraction buildings began in September 2008, with the track completed in December 2008 and the rest continuing into early 2009. SeaWorld began previewing the attraction in early May 2009, leading up to its official opening, May 22.
Design
Manta is intended to be much more than a roller coaster. The experience begins upon entering the attraction's queueQueue
A queue is a particular kind of collection in which the entities in the collection are kept in order and the principal operations on the collection are the addition of entities to the rear terminal position and removal of entities from the front terminal position. This makes the queue a...
, designed to resemble a seaside village. The village is decorated with mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
s and other artwork inspired by rays. Within the attraction's 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) site are ten aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
s containing 184,000 gallon
Gallon
The gallon is a measure of volume. Historically it has had many different definitions, but there are three definitions in current use: the imperial gallon which is used in the United Kingdom and semi-officially within Canada, the United States liquid gallon and the lesser used United States dry...
s of water. 3,000 different animals, representing over 60 species, are visible, including over 300 different rays, such as cownose ray
Cownose ray
The cownose ray is a species of eagle ray found throughout a large part of the western Atlantic and Caribbean, from New England, USA to southern Brazil. Cownose rays grow rapidly, and male rays often reach about in width and weigh . Females typically reach in width and weigh .-Gestation:The...
s and spotted eagle ray
Spotted eagle ray
The spotted eagle ray is a cartilaginous fish of the eagle ray family, Myliobatidae. It can be found globally in tropical regions, including the Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, off the coast of West Africa, the Indian Ocean, Oceania, and on both coasts of the Americas at depths down to about . The rays...
s. Sea horses, sea dragon
Leafy sea dragon
The leafy seadragon or Glauert's seadragon, Phycodurus eques, is a marine fish in the family Syngnathidae, which also includes the seahorses. It is the only member of the genus Phycodurus. It is found along the southern and western coasts of Australia. The name is derived from the appearance, with...
s and various tropical fish share the aquarium space. Floor-to-ceiling Plexiglas windows, including a 220 square feet (20.4 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
Flying roller coaster
A flying roller coaster is a variation of roller coaster meant to simulate the sensations of flight by harnessing riders in a prone position during the duration of the ride. The roller coaster cars are suspended below the track, with riders secured such that their backs are parallel to the track...
, 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
Vertebral column
In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
are parallel to the track. Guests are secured in their seats using a locking lap bar and a vest
Vest
A vest is a garment covering the upper body. The term has different meanings around the world:Waistcoat :. This is called a waistcoat in the UK and many Commonwealth countries, or a vest in the US and Canada. It is often worn as part of formal attire, or as the third piece of a lounge...
-like harness, as well as flaps at the riders' ankle
Ankle
The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot...
s to hold their feet in place.
Track layout
The roller coaster has 3359 feet (1,023.8 m) of track, and reaches a height of 140 feet (42.7 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 TatsuTatsu
Tatsu, meaning "dragon" in Japanese is a steel flying roller coaster operating at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. It opened May 13, 2006. The ride was promoted with a Japanese mythology theme. Tatsu is the only flying coaster to have a Zero-G Roll...
at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...
. 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 feet (42.7 m)-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 feet (29.9 m)-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 inline 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.
Reception
Manta has been lauded by the mainstream and industry press since its debut in May 2009. Busch Entertainment Corporation, parent company to SeaWorld Orlando, credited Manta with improving park attendance. In July 2009, Manta was named "best new attraction" by ThemeParkInsider.com. In September 2009, Manta placed 3rd in voting for the Best New Ride of 2009 in Amusement Today magazine.| Golden Ticket Awards: Top Steel Roller Coasters | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | 2009 | 2010 |
| Ranking | ||