The Diving Machine is a model of roller coaster

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...

 manufactured by Swiss company Bolliger and Mabillard. It is distinguished from other roller coasters by its vertical drop and wide shuttle trains.

History

The first Diving Machine to open was Oblivion

Oblivion (roller coaster)

Oblivion is a steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers in England. The ride opened as the world's first vertical drop roller coaster in March 1998 amidst a large publicity campaign. The ride has a height restriction of 1.4 metres...

at Alton Towers

Alton Towers

Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, in 1998. This did not have a true vertical drop because its maximum angle was 88.8 degrees so that the wheels could remain in contact with the track at all times, however it is known and accepted as the world's first vertical drop coaster. On recent versions of the Diving Machine coaster train wheels are spring-loaded, keeping the wheels firmly touching the track throughout the drop, allowing for true 90 degree vertical drops. Since then, four other installations have opened, with the most recent featuring inversions and floorless

Floorless roller coaster

A floorless roller coaster is a roller coaster with trains that ride above the track and allow the passenger's legs to dangle. It is a fairly new concept in roller coaster design brought forth by manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard. The first ever floorless coaster debuted in 1999 at Six Flags Great...

 trains. Another newer element to Diving Machines is the "splashdown", where fins at the end of the coaster train create a high tail of water as it passes over a pool as an exciting effect. Splashdowns do not get riders wet but some off-ride observation areas can soak spectators.

Today, Bolliger & Mabillard is still the only company to design and build such roller coasters.

Design

The Diving Machine is characterized by distinctly wide trains

Train (roller coaster)

A roller coaster train or car describes the vehicle which transports passengers around a roller coaster's circuit. More specifically, a roller coaster train is made up of two or more "cars" which are connected by some sort of specialized joint. It is called a "train" because the cars follow one...

, usually consisting two or three rows each seating 6 to 10 passengers. Additionally, stadium seating

Stadium seating

Stadium seating or theater seating is a characteristic seating arrangement that is most commonly associated with performing-arts venues, and derives its name from stadiums, which typically use this arrangement...

 is employed, as to provide all riders a clear view. At the top of the primary vertical drop, a braking system holds the train for 3 to 5 seconds, giving riders a view of the drop ahead.

Installations

Name	Park	Location	Opened
Oblivion Oblivion (roller coaster) Oblivion is a steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers in England. The ride opened as the world's first vertical drop roller coaster in March 1998 amidst a large publicity campaign. The ride has a height restriction of 1.4 metres...	Alton Towers Alton Towers Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...	United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...	1998
Diving Machine G5 Diving Machine G5 Diving Machine G5 is a roller coaster located at Janfusun Fancyworld in Taiwan. The ride was built in 2000 by Swiss manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard and was the second Diving Machine model to be built, the first being Oblivion at Alton Towers in the United Kingdom...	Janfusun Fancyworld Janfusun Fancyworld Janfusun Fancyworld is an amusement park located on the island of Taiwan, Republic of China near the city of Douliu. It features a movie theater and costume shops. There is a water park section of Janfusun where you can enjoy a Hawaiian-like stage and many water rides...	Taiwan Taiwan Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...	2000
SheiKra SheiKra SheiKra is a Bolliger and Mabillard diving machine roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. It is situated in the Stanleyville section of the park. SheiKra was the first dive machine roller coaster in North America. It is tied with Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia as the second tallest roller...	Busch Gardens Tampa Bay	United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	2005
Griffon Griffon (roller coaster) Griffon is a Bolliger & Mabillard diving machine roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. On opening, it was the tallest of its kind in the world at . Griffon originally had two other potential names — "IronEagle" and "Voltare" — before Busch Gardens decided on the name "Griffon". Griffon has...	Busch Gardens Williamsburg	United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	2007
Dive Coaster	Chimelong Paradise	China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...	2008
Diving Coaster	Happy Valley Shanghai Happy Valley Shanghai Happy Valley Shanghai is an amusement park located in Songjiang, Shanghai, China. The park is approximately from downtown Shanghai. It covers an area of 863,500 square meters . Happy Valley contains seven major areas, each with different themed zones, including Sunshine Beach, Happy Times,...	China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...	16 August 2009
Krake	Heide Park Heide Park The Heide Park Resort is a theme park in Soltau, Lower Saxony. With an overall area of over 850,000 m², it is one of the biggest German amusement parks and the biggest in Northern Germany....  Resort	Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...	16 April 2011

External links

• Official Bolliger & Mabillard Diving Machine website