The Great White
Encyclopedia
Making its debut in 1997, The Great White was the first inverted roller coaster
in Texas
and the first roller coaster to be built at a SeaWorld
park.
Despite its shortened track length, The Great White follows a identical ride layout as the Batman the Ride coasters at numerous Six Flags parks albeit being "mirrored." At 2,562 feet, the coaster doesn't allow riders as much time to "recuperate" between inversions, consequently offering an extreme, forceful ride experience. Furthermore, The Great White sits lower to the ground, often deceiving its riders with elements such as "foot-choppers" as there are many trees and shrubs surrounding the coaster's track. The Great White is sometimes considered to be more intense than its Six Flags
' cousin
because of its added 8th row (Goliath
has only seven rows per train). Its layout consists of the following inversions:
When The Great White opened, its queue line wrapped around a large-scale shark aquarium, similar to the manta aquariums found in the newly constructed Manta at SeaWorld Orlando
. This was later removed, however, as the only people able to view the sharks were those waiting in line for the ride (Manta offers separate entrances for riders and non-riders). Nonetheless, SeaWorld
's shark exhibit now sits toward the front of the park, just past the Dolphin Cove.
Inverted roller coaster
An inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the track, but "swings" via a pivoting bar attached to the...
in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and the first roller coaster to be built at a SeaWorld
SeaWorld San Antonio
SeaWorld San Antonio is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and animal theme park, located in the Westover Hills area of San Antonio, Texas. It is the largest of the three parks in the SeaWorld chain owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a division of The Blackstone Group, and the world's...
park.
Despite its shortened track length, The Great White follows a identical ride layout as the Batman the Ride coasters at numerous Six Flags parks albeit being "mirrored." At 2,562 feet, the coaster doesn't allow riders as much time to "recuperate" between inversions, consequently offering an extreme, forceful ride experience. Furthermore, The Great White sits lower to the ground, often deceiving its riders with elements such as "foot-choppers" as there are many trees and shrubs surrounding the coaster's track. The Great White is sometimes considered to be more intense than its Six Flags
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Six Flags Fiesta Texas is a seasonally operated theme park located on approximately of land in San Antonio, Texas.Six Flags Fiesta Texas is the major entertainment component of USAA's La Cantera, a 1,600 acre master-planned development in northwest San Antonio...
' cousin
Goliath (Six Flags Fiesta Texas)
Goliath is a steel inverted roller coaster designed by Bolliger & Mabillard operating at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, TX since April 18th, 2008. It is the first inverted coaster at a Six Flags park to be named Goliath....
because of its added 8th row (Goliath
Goliath (Six Flags Fiesta Texas)
Goliath is a steel inverted roller coaster designed by Bolliger & Mabillard operating at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, TX since April 18th, 2008. It is the first inverted coaster at a Six Flags park to be named Goliath....
has only seven rows per train). Its layout consists of the following inversions:
- a Vertical Loop
- a Zero-G Roll
- a second Vertical Loop
- a Wingover
- a second Wingover
When The Great White opened, its queue line wrapped around a large-scale shark aquarium, similar to the manta aquariums found in the newly constructed Manta at SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando is a theme park, and marine-life based zoological park, near Orlando, Florida. It is owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a subsidiary of The Blackstone Group...
. This was later removed, however, as the only people able to view the sharks were those waiting in line for the ride (Manta offers separate entrances for riders and non-riders). Nonetheless, SeaWorld
SeaWorld San Antonio
SeaWorld San Antonio is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and animal theme park, located in the Westover Hills area of San Antonio, Texas. It is the largest of the three parks in the SeaWorld chain owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a division of The Blackstone Group, and the world's...
's shark exhibit now sits toward the front of the park, just past the Dolphin Cove.