ORLANDO, Fla. – SeaWorld announced Wednesday that it is building Orlando's tallest, fastest, longest roller coaster.
[PHOTOS: Artist Renderings of Mako]
Scheduled to open in summer 2016, Mako will rise 200 feet and travel 73 mph over 4,760 feet of steel track -- nearly a mile long.
Mako sharks -- also called "blue pointers" -- are known for their top speed, making extreme jumps and the ability to quickly change course as they pursue their prey, SeaWorld said.
"We've built Manta, Turtle Trek, Antarctica and now it's time for another big thrill ride," said Brian Morrow, Senior Director of Attraction Development for SeaWorld.
The new coaster will become one of the world's few true hypercoasters, a group of roller coasters known for high speeds and steep drops and hills that create a feeling of weightlessness or "air time." As the coaster cars crest each hill, riders float, nearly weightless, the park said.
"On Mako, you'll experience what it's like to be this apex predator, surging through the water at top speed and chasing prey throughout a massive reef," said Morrow. "It will be a wild mix of fear, thrills and fun."
The new attraction is already turning the heads of roller coaster enthusiasts like Chris Kraftchick with American Coaster Enthusiasts.
"The relentless airtime. It's a ride thats gonna keep you out of your seat more than in your seat," he told Local 6.
The new coaster comes at a time when the park has seen a massive loss in attendance in the wake of the movie, "Blackfish."
The movie interviewed current and former park trainers and blamed the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010 directly on the park.
SeaWorld launched a multi-million dollar marketing campaign in April to win visitors back.
SeaWorld's new hypercoaster will be the centerpiece of the newly themed surrounding realm. A two-acre plaza now will be fully shark-themed, including Mako, Shark Encounter, Sharks Underwater Grill, shops, shark and shipwreck theming and educational experiences featuring sharks.
"It's this blend of education and thrills, immersing guests in an underwater world, that sets a SeaWorld ride apart from others," Morrow said.
Mako will also use a unique sound system to enhance the experience -- and not just for those on the ride, SeaWorld said. The full score of Mako will be heard and follows riders out of the station and up the lift hill. Custom surround effects and musical scores fill the realm, changing as the coaster dives through the area.
At night, specialty lights will accent the coaster trains, realm and track, flickering and shimmering, simulating fish being scattered by a mako on the hunt, the park said.
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