Construction on Emperor – the tallest, fastest and longest dive coaster in California – reached two significant and exciting milestones this week with the installation of the last section of track and the loading of the first ride vehicle onto the track. Each of the floorless trains holds 18 riders in three, six-person rows, making this coaster the first 6-across dive coaster in North America.
When Emperor opens this summer, it will join Tidal Twister, Electric Eel and Manta as the park’s newest roller coaster thrill-ride experience.
Named for the world’s largest penguin, Emperor will elevate riders to 153 feet with feet dangling in the air. Riders will be suspended on a 45-degree angle at the apex of the ride before plunging down a 143-foot facedown vertical drop accelerating to more than 60 miles per hour! Riders will then experience multiple zero-gravity moments as they traverse through a hammerhead turn, zero-g roll, and flat-spin.
This exciting new attraction will also highlight an important new animal-conservation partnership between SeaWorld and Penguins International, an organization dedicated to penguin conservation and research, that will focus on penguin awareness and the conservation needs of this special aquatic bird. The partnership will include collaboration on educational elements that will be integrated into the attraction experience to educate guests on everything from penguin behavior and the effects of climate change on their habitats, to the work that SeaWorld and Penguins International are doing to help the species.
The partnership with SeaWorld will help advance Penguin International’s conservation programs at several high-priority sites and their public awareness campaigns. A portion of the proceeds from sales of penguin merchandise at the Emperor retail store will also be donated to Penguins International to support their important conservation, education and research efforts.
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