The Parkz Update: Sea World, December 2013

The latest Parkz Update takes a look at Sea World's Storm Coaster, Australia's first water coaster.

Image: Parkz. Storm Coaster opens at Sea World.

Update By Parkz
12 December 2013

Storm Coaster is now open at Sea World.

Dominating the Sea World skyline, Storm Coaster draws guests from around the park.

Getting to the ride however is the first challenge, thanks to some arbitrary obstacles.

Just like in the pictures!

The new pathway that snakes under the ride is bitumen, surrounded by gravel garden beds. It's a shame the area couldn't be made a bit greener and tropical given the subject matter of the ride.

Who wants to bet this elegant fencing solution wasn't in the original plans?

The pathway to Storm Coaster heads over Viking's Revenge.

The impressive cascading water is the first thing that greets riders as they prepare to enter the queue.,

The surging water even threatens nearby onlookers that get too close.

The capsized ship turned out nicely.

The spinning propeller doesn't provide a headchopper moment, but the water that drips from it is a particularly cute effect.

The track's rusted look is great and will only be improved by years of wear, grease and weather.

The surrounds have a similar style to Bermuda Triangle's theme, but lacks that tropical Caribbean vibe that made Bermuda Triangle so picturesque.

The storm carnage that surrounds the ride provides all the storyline and setting you could possibly need.

Sea World originally planned to build their own fake shipping containers for theming -- until it was costed against real second-hand shipping containers.

In terms of setting a scene, Storm Coaster is Sea World's answer to Wild West Falls at Warner Bros. Movie World. Effective without getting bogged down by a sub-par narrative.

The port carnage is eerily reminiscent of 2011's Cyclone Yasi in Far North Queensland.

The small areas of water that surround the ride do a much better job of setting the scene than the loose gravel that fills the remaining area.

Designers have clearly had fun placing all sorts of broken, rusted items around the ride.

Dreamworld take note -- this is what water ride water should look like.

A few decomissioned pumps and plumbing as theming is all that remains of Bermuda Triangle.

It seems Sea World have discovered the wonders of artificial rust.

Theming, or leftover nuts and bolts from construction?

The ride is impressive from all angles now that the paths around it have all reopened.

Storm Coaster dominates the skyline without distracting.

The actual coaster is quite tame -- a ride for all ages despite its size.

Restraints include individual lapbars and completely redundant shoulder seatbelts that serve three perfectly valid purposes:

Slowing down dispatch times.Getting progressively tighter throughout the ride to the point of discomfort.Satisfying insurance companies and lawyers.

The coaster portion is smooth and quite graceful.

Who else hates the odd kink in the track at the top of the final drop? This aesthetic nuisance appears on many Mack water coasters and is proof that German ride designers typically start with RollerCoaster Tycoon for inspiration.

The airtime hill provides a nice pop as you speed over into the dark final splashdown.

The ride has opened with quite efficient operations, meaning it's running at pretty close to its theoretical hourly capacity.

Storm Coaster doesn't quite replace the immersive, storyline-driven Bermuda Triangle, but it's definitely a ride that suits Sea World and we can at least be thankful that they didn't go down the route of Jet Rescue with its pointless, hamfisted storyline.

Plenty of Storm merchandise available in the ride shop.

The saga of Sea Viper continues in the leadup to the peak season. Either the 30+ year old coaster is now showing its age, or the KumbacK train is as difficult to maintain as it is uncomfortable.