Dive Coaster

According to Walter Bolliger, development of the Dive Coaster began between 1994 and 1995.[1] On March 14, 1998, the world's first Dive Coaster, Oblivion, opened at Alton Towers. Though Oblivion is classified as a Dive Coaster, it does not have a true vertical drop as the drop angle is 87-degrees.[2] Two years later, the second Dive Coaster built, Diving Machine G5, opened at Janfusun Fancyworld and also does not have a vertical drop.[3] In 2005, SheiKra opened at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and was the first Dive Coaster to feature a 90-degree drop and a splashdown element.[4][5] In 2007, Busch Gardens Williamsburg announced that Griffon would be the first ever Dive Coaster to feature floorless trains[6] and SheiKra would have its trains replaced with floorless ones.[7][8] In 2011, the first 'mini' Dive Coaster opened at Heide Park Resort, named Krake. Unlike other Dive Coasters, Krake has smaller trains consisting of three rows of six riders.[9] In 2019, Yukon Striker at Canada's Wonderland was the first Dive Coaster to feature a vertical loop, allowing it to have the most inversions on a Dive Coaster with four in total.[10] On July 30 2022, Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger at Six Flags Fiesta Texas is the first B&M Dive Coaster to feature a beyond vertical (95°) drop and 7-across seating.

An example of a floorless Dive Coaster train on SheiKra.

The design of a Dive Coaster can vary slightly from one to another. Depending on the amusement park's request, one row on the train can seat anywhere from 6 to 10 riders. Stadium seating is also used to give every rider a clear view. Next, compared to standard Bolliger & Mabillard 4 abreast cars, because of the extra weight of each train on a Dive Coaster, the size of the track must be larger than other B&M models (such as the Hyper Coaster) to support the weight.[11] 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 before being released into the drop.[12][13]

In the station, Dive Coasters that use non-floorless trains simply use a standard station. With Dive Coasters that use floorless trains, in order to allow riders to load and unload the train, a movable floor is necessary. Because the front row has nothing in front of it to stop riders from walking over the edge of the station, a gate is placed in front of the train to prevent this from happening. Once all the over-the-shoulder restraints are locked, the gate opens and the floor separates into several pieces and moves underneath the station.[12] When the next train enters the station, the gate is closed and the floors are brought back up where the next riders board.[12]

Bolliger & Mabillard has built fourteen Dive Coasters with one to be opened in 2020-2021. The roller coasters are listed in order of opening dates.

Name	Park	Country	Opened	Status
Oblivion	Alton Towers	United Kingdom	March 14, 1998	Operating	[2]
Diving Machine G5	Janfusun Fancyworld	Taiwan	March 29, 2000	Operating	[3]
SheiKra	Busch Gardens Tampa Bay	United States	May 21, 2005	Operating	[4]
Griffon	Busch Gardens Williamsburg	United States	May 18, 2007	Operating	[14]
Dive Coaster	Chimelong Paradise	China	January 21, 2008	Operating	[15]
Diving Coaster	Happy Valley Shanghai	China	August 16, 2009	Operating	[16]
Krake	Heide Park	Germany	April 16, 2011	Operating	[9]
Oblivion: The Black Hole	Gardaland	Italy	March 28, 2015	Operating	[17]
Baron 1898	Efteling	Netherlands	June 30, 2015	Operating	[18]
Valravn	Cedar Point	United States	May 7, 2016	Operating	[19]
Draken	Gyeongju World	South Korea	May 1, 2018	Operating	[20]
Valkyria	Liseberg	Sweden	August 10, 2018	Operating	[21]
Western Regions Heaven	Happy Valley Chengdu	China	February 2, 2018	Operating	[22]
Yukon Striker	Canada's Wonderland	Canada	May 3, 2019	Operating	[23]
Emperor	SeaWorld San Diego	United States	March 12, 2022	Operating	[24]
Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger	Six Flags Fiesta Texas	United States	July 30, 2022	Operating	[25]

HangTime, a Gerstlauer roller coaster located at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, has been marketed as "the first dive coaster on the West Coast".[26]

In 2018, Golden Horse, a Chinese amusement ride manufacturer infamous for creating knock-off coasters and rides, installed a Dive Coaster at Great Xingdong Tourist World. The trains contain four cars, each seating 6 riders per row, compared to B&M dive coasters, which have two or three cars per train.[27]

• Floorless Coaster, a type of roller coaster also designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, that features floorless trains.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dive Coasters.

• Official website