Manta Spreads its Watery Wings at SeaWorld San Diego

Joe Kleiman

12 years ago

San Diego, CA, USA (May 26, 2012) — The wait for Manta is over! After 18 months of construction and years of planning, SeaWorld guests are officially Riding the Ray and Feeling the Rush on San Diego’s first double-launch, multi-media roller coaster, Manta!

A festive grand opening ceremony hosted by SeaWorld Park President John Reilly and attended by San Diego City Council President Tony Young and San Diego City Council Member Lori Zapf preceded the first official Manta launch. Following a dramatic performance and drum roll by ensemble group TAIKOPROJECT and a “kelp ribbon” cutting, the first riders on Manta were students from the Elementary Institute of Science — a science enrichment program dedicated to nurturing the intellectual curiosity of San Diego’s young people by providing hands-on experiences to stimulate an ongoing appreciation and understanding science, technology and the environment. As part of the grand opening, SeaWorld made a $10,000 donation to the nonprofit program and invited 20 students to be the first riders on opening day.

With Manta, SeaWorld has combined the thrill of an amazing double-launch roller coaster with an incredible, hands-on animal experience. The coaster features multiple twists and turns, an exciting 54-foot drop and a launch station with a 270-degree enveloping screen. Plus, riders and non-riders alike may enjoy dozens of rays, which can be seen in a 100,000-gallon aquarium through eight acrylic viewing windows, and, they can even reach in and touch and feed rays in a shallow pool.

Manta is located just north of Dolphin Point. SeaWorld worked with German ride design company MACK, which also engineered the marine-life park’s popular ride, Journey To Atlantis.

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