Electric Eel set to debut at SeaWorld San Diego in 2018
With 2017 barely underway, Sea World San Diego announces a brand new coaster for Summer 2018. Electric Eel will be the park’s first high-thrill coaster experience for visitors. The ride will be the Sky Rocket II model from Premier Rides, which had a previous installation at sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg with Tempesto in 2015. The triple-launch thriller will be the third roller coaster at the park. It will also give Californians their first upside down view of Mission Bay.
In 2017, the park is opening a new land called Ocean Explorer among other additions. This area will include new family-oriented rides mixed with educational and animal experiences. Electric Eel will be Phase II of the area, making for the most significant expansion in the half-century history of the park.
SeaWorld San Diego gave ACE an advance interview with Brian Morrow, Vice President, Theme Park Experience Design:
ACE: What made SeaWorld decide this was the right choice for the park?
SeaWorld: It’s compact, so it fits into our small park perfectly. The forward-backward-forward launch is very unique with the Southern California market. It all works for us with the electric eel storyline. Combined with the additions being introduced this year, it’s a multi-year transformation of the park itself.
A: We are barely into 2017. Why announce this now?
S: California requires quite a bit of public information disclosure. This lets us get out ahead of it and share the information and tie it into Ocean Explorer.
A: Speak toward the name.
S: When Ocean Explorer opens, it is full of kids and family rides and aquariums. When Electric Eel opens, it will continue the story of that land which has one of the largest eel habitats in the new aquarium. The coaster can also twist itself in knots and an eel can generate its own electricity against its prey — these have all the makings of a good SeaWorld story.
A: Is this an indication that SeaWorld San Diego is moving toward a thrill-seeker audience?
S: It keeps balance. The Ocean Explorer rides are geared toward families and kids. This is a continuous of a long-term master plan we’ve had for about eight years now. It’s sort of an exclamation point on that. It doesn’t indicate the next thing you hear from us is another giant thrill ride. Our company isn’t changing our cadence.
A: Is there anything that will set this ride apart?
S: New innovative digital experiences are coming to our parks. Electric Eel will have that as well. There will be things for our non-riders as well. We’ll be teasing more as we get closer to the expansion. I personally am not know for designing boring ride stations (laughs), so we have some great tricks up our sleeves we can’t divulge yet. It will help you understand the power an eel can generate and give the guests quite a show inside the station.
