Aquatica, SeaWorld's water park, is adding its first attraction since it opened almost two years ago.
The new Omaka Rocka, which will feature moves reminescent of skateboarders and BMX bikers, will be ready for guests by March, Aquatica vice president Rick Beddow said Wednesday.
Riders will travel in two-seater tubes through a set of three funnels that will replicate the half-pipe experience of extreme sports.
"They're going to slide up one side and get a sensation of near weightlessness. They'll come down that side and back up the other. They'll probably be going backwards, but most definitely going to be screaming," Beddow said. "It's going to be a taste of a half-pipe — near vertical thrills experienced only by skateboarders or snowboarders."
The "Omaka Rocka" name translates to "rocking river," SeaWorld officials said. It is under contruction at the International Drive attraction. It will share a tower with the current Whanau Way slide, but it was not part of the original Aquatica plan, said Brian Morrow, director of design and engineering.
"We had pre-planned a ride there — not this ride. And we didn't know what year we would put it in," he said. "This ride was designed about 12 months ago, so it is new." Despite printed reports and Internet rumor to the contrary, this is the only Aquatica expansion planned for 2010, according to SeaWorld.
The new attraction will have two slides with three funnels apiece. The design was appealling because of its uniqueness and capacity, which should make wait times shorter throughout the park, Morrow said.
A slide vendor called ProSlide approached Aquatica officials with the concept, which involves a smaller footprint than other half-pipe-style attractions. Those usually are one-thrill, big-raft styles, Morrow said. Omaka Rocka will sport consecutive mini-funnels and use two-seater tubes.
"It's a lot more of a you-and-a-friend kind of thing," Morrow said.
Portions of the ride are enclosed, but in a new, "semi-transparent" fiberglass tubing, Morrow said.
"It allows light to come through the slide, so not only will it be bright and colorful on the enclosed sections, but when you're not riding, waiting underneath, you'll be able to see the riders sliding around above you," he said. This was a deliberate maneuver to distinguish it from several other Aquatica rides that begin in near-darkness.
"It's going to glow in the Florida sunshine," Morrow said.
The ride will have no height restrictions.
"Riders just need to maintain the proper riding position, holding onto both handles unassisted, similar to Whanau Way and Tassie's Twisters," Beddow said.
SeaWorld would not disclose a price tag for Omaka Rocka. The recent ownership change of the park did not affect the plans.
"This was on the drawing board well before we had any changes of control," Beddow said.
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