
SeaWorld San Diego officials celebrated the last section of track to be set in place March 5 on the theme park’s exciting new “Manta” double-launch roller coaster, putting the multi-media thriller on track for a May 26 opening. The “Manta” coaster will be set on a five-acre area and additionally feature an aquarium complete with underwater views of marine life and a grotto where guests can touch and feed rays. Now that the final set of track has been placed, workers have begun installing the glass viewing windows, movie screens and other work. The Manta coaster itself features more than a half-mile of track that will take riders on dozens of twists and turns, 4 Gs of vertical force and a 54-foot drop. It took construction workers four months to install all 98 sections of track. According to SeaWorld San Diego officials, riders on Manta will feel as if they are a ray, taking flight from sky to sea — so close at times that the Manta ride’s wings skim the waves. Riders and non-riders will enjoy the graceful beauty of bat rays, which will be seen through an acrylic window and can be touched in a shallow grotto. The exhibit will also feature diamond rays, guitar fish and nearly 500 fishes native to the California coast. For more information, visit www.seaworldparks.com/seaworldsandiego.
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