Dive Coaster

Dive Coaster

The very first Dive Coaster, Oblivion at Alton Towers
Status	In production
Number built	12
First built	Oblivion (1998)
Latest built	Iron Menace (2024)
Statistics
Manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard, Switzerland

The Dive Coaster (previously called Diving Machine) is a steel roller coaster product built by Bolliger & Mabillard. It can be distinguished by its wide trains, seating six, seven, eight or ten riders per row.

Oblivion at Alton Towers was the first Dive Coaster, featuring a near vertical drop, as well as an underground tunnel and turnaround. It was also the first roller coaster with a near vertical drop.

Since the opening of Oblivion other companies have built rides with drops steeper than 90 degrees but Bolliger & Mabillard remain the only company to build roller coasters with such wide trains.

History

The first Dive Coaster to be built was Oblivion at Alton Towers, England, in 1998. However it didn't have a "true" vertical drop, but a maximum angle of 88.8 degrees to make sure that the wheels could stay in contact with the track. Despite this, it is still considered and accepted as the first vertical drop. Later Dive Coasters had spring-loaded wheels, keeping the wheels firm against the track and thus allowing "true" vertical drops.

Since then, eight more Dive Coaster installations have opened. SheiKra, opened in 2005 at Busch Gardens Tampa, is the first Dive Coaster to feature inversions. Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg introduced floorless trains in 2007. The same year, SheiKra's trains were modified to be floorless.^[1] All Dive Coasters built since have inversions and floorless trains.

When it opened in 2016, Valravn at Cedar Point was the first Dive Coaster with three inversions and also the first installation to use vest harnesses instead of over-the-shoulder harnesses.

The largest installation so far is the Yukon Striker at Canada's Wonderland.

Design

All Dive Coaster installations hold the train at the top of the first drop for approximately three seconds. A small section of chain is used, which holds the train while pushing it very slowly over the edge.

Some Dive Coasters feature water brakes, where fins at the ends of the trains spray water over spectators.

Trains

Dive Coaster trains are unique in that they seat six to ten riders per row. The trains employ stadium seating, with each row raised higher than the one in front to maximise the view.

Installations

Name	Amusement Park	Country	Train width	Layout	Opened	Status	Operator
Oblivion	Alton Towers	UK	8	Oblivion	March 14, 1998	Operating	Merlin Entertainments
Diving Machine G5	Janfusun Fancyworld	Taiwan	8	Oblivion	March 29, 2000	Operating
SheiKra	Busch Gardens Tampa	USA	8	SheiKra	May 21, 2005	Operating	SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Griffon	Busch Gardens Williamsburg	USA	10	Griffon	May 18, 2007	Operating	SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Dive Coaster	Chimelong Paradise	China	10	Custom	February 7, 2008	Operating
Diving Coaster	Happy Valley (Shanghai)	China	8	SheiKra	August 16, 2009	Operating	Happy Valley
Krake	Heide Park	Germany	6	Custom	April 16, 2011	Operating	Merlin Entertainments
Oblivion: The Black Hole	Gardaland	Italy	6	Custom	March 28, 2015	Operating	Merlin Entertainments
Baron 1898	Efteling	Netherlands	6	Custom	July 1, 2015	Operating
Valravn	Cedar Point	USA	8	Custom	May 7, 2016	Operating	Cedar Fair
Flying Apsaras in Western Region	Happy Valley (Sichuan)	China	6	Custom	February 10, 2018	Operating	Happy Valley
Draken	Gyeongju World	South Korea	8	Griffon	May 1, 2018	Operating
Valkyria	Liseberg	Sweden	6	Custom	August 10, 2018	Operating
Yukon Striker	Canada's Wonderland	Canada	8	Custom	May 3, 2019	Operating	Cedar Fair
Emperor	SeaWorld San Diego	USA	6	Custom	March 12, 2022	Operating	SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger	Six Flags Fiesta Texas	USA	7	Custom	July 31, 2022	Operating	Six Flags
Iron Menace	Dorney Park	USA	7	Custom	May 10, 2024	Operating	Cedar Fair
Wrath of Rakshasa	Six Flags Great America	USA	7	Custom	2025	Under construction	Six Flags