Sea World

Mako Hypercoaster at SeaWorld Orlando: Photos & POV Video as Attraction Readies for June 10th Opening

Denise

Hi everyone!

SeaWorld invited us out today to check out Mako, now the tallest, fastest, and longest coaster in Orlando! The hypercoaster officially opens tomorrow (June 10th, 2016) to guests. Mako is 200 feet tall and hits speeds of 73mph, but its the air time that was the biggest hit with everyone riding today (including media and members of American Coaster Enthusiasts). No matter how tight the restraint is, there are hills that will lift riders out of their seats. The coaster is named after the mako shark, which also helped bring about SeaWorld’s partnership with conservationist Guy Harvey.

The weather was grey for much of the day, we were really lucky to get a blue sky for our rides.

Mako is part of the larger Shark Wreck Reef 2 acre realm, which includes Shark Encounter and Shark’s Underwater Grill.

Guests can also learn about sharks here.

This is a shark that was created with items taken from the ocean.

This isn’t the first time that SeaWorld has put together a similar display, showing visitors that trash can harm sharks and other sealife.

But, you probably are here to hear about Mako. It has been a highly anticipated roller coaster in the Orlando area over the past year or so, and it joins other coasters at SeaWorld that include Kraken and Manta.

There are signs and at least one video in the queue, we didn’t spend much time there.

There is also a video telling guests what they need to know about Mako.

One of my favorites is that hands-free cameras are allowed if secured with a manufacturers mount (like a GoPro). It’s great that SeaWorld is giving that information up front.

I was very nervous, this may be the highest roller coaster I’ve ever been on. I also did not realize how much air time there was (even though I kept hearing that it was a lot).

Here is our video, we actually had to ride twice in a row (due to needing additional footage). It includes not only us, but POV footage, all edited professionally and given to us while at SeaWorld today. The screen capture below was from my first ride, I didn’t really want to look out at all during the climb. I did much better the second time.

We made it! And then we found out we were going again. 🙂 I only have ridden so far in the front row so I can’t speak to the back or anywhere else in the coaster, but it was a very smooth ride – one of the smoothest I’ve been on – and the hills were a lot of fun. I’m not an “air time” aficionado, but everyone says there is a lot compared with other coasters (and I spent a fair bit of time out of my seat). It didn’t feel uncomfortable, but my restraint was especially tight on the second go-around and I was surprised at the lift on each hill.

We interviewed Brian Morrow, Vice President of Theme Park Experience and Design at Sea World. He was very excited about the new attraction, and especially about having the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Orlando.

Here is our video interview with Brian Morrow.

For even more Mako information, here is our interview with Mike Denninger, VP of Theme Park Development at SeaWorld.
We also had the opportunity to interview Guy Harvey, who has a great partnership with SeaWorld – if you purchase anything from Harvey in the gift shops, 5% will go to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. We will have a Guy Harvey video in the next day or so.

Harvey designed this mural a week or two back at SeaWorld of a mako shark.

Here is a look at some of the merchandise created just for SeaWorld by Harvey.

There are a couple of Tervis tumblers designed just for SeaWorld as well by Harvey (I’m a fan of Tervis too!)

It was a great time today, and we definitely recommend riding Mako on your next visit to SeaWorld!