SeaWorld San Diego unleashed a beast on the general public today with the opening of the world’s first horizontal, figure of eight, duelling roller coaster — the Tidal Twister.

Describing the adrenaline fuelled attraction — which flings riders along along a tight, figure of eight shaped track, which includes a Zero-G roll in the middle of the course, designed to simulate the dizzying motion of ocean tides — Marilyn Hannes, SeaWorld San Diego’s park president, said:

“There is no other coaster experience in the world like Tidal Twister. The two trains duel one another and guests will see the excitement on the faces of the other riders. You’ll almost feel like you can reach out and touch them. The tight turns, the inversion and the airtime hill will leave our guests wondering which way is up.”

https://youtu.be/4ViKH7uOIgM

On top of providing vertigo inducing thrills and spills for all the family, the new ride also has some solid eco-credentials with a slice of the profits from the Tidal Twister going to Rising Tide Conservation, a non-profit organisation, dedicated to developing and promoting aquaculture of marine ornamental fish through the collaborative efforts of researchers, public aquaria, and conservation groups.

“Groundbreaking science”

“SeaWorld’s support of Rising Tide through this new attraction is terrific for our conservation efforts,” said Dr Judy St. Leger, president of Rising Tide Conservation. “The information shared and the funds raised through this programme will help us in our mission to maintain healthy fish populations.”

“I am so excited that we’re part of the Rising Tide Conservation team,” said Mike Price, curator of fishes at SeaWorld San Diego. “Creating sustainable populations of these marine fishes is a cornerstone of maintaining healthy active coral reefs. It’s great to help advance this groundbreaking science here at the park.”