It's one-third of a mile long with two and a half minutes of hills, drops, twists and turns. It's called the Wildebeest.
The ride investment is the second largest in the park's 64-year history.
More details:
Located north of Bahari wave pool, Wildebeest will begin with a conveyor ride up the water coaster's lifthill. Following the 38-foot drop at a 45-degree angle, linear induction motors (LIMs) will propel the four-person rafts up seven additional hills, through three tunnels and around a helix. Wildebeest will cover more than two acres, increasing the water park's size to 27 acres.
Wildebeest's tallest elevation is 64 feet higher than its lowest drop; its top speed will hit 36 feet per second. The conveyor-style lifthill replaces any slide-tower stairs, making the water coaster accessible to riders who might have difficulty walking up stairs.
Holiday World predicts the need to hire an additional 50 seasonal employees next season, in addition to this year's total of 2,000 seasonals.
Holiday World & Splashin' Safari are open daily through Sunday and most weekends through October 11. For more information, visit the parks' website or call 1-877-463-2645.
TECHNOLOGY: HydroMagnetic technology utilizes LIMs to propel Wildebeest's rafts up the water coaster's hills. An alternating magnetic field beneath the slide surface propels the rafts, pushing them rapidly and smoothly uphill. LIM technology is a popular feature in some steel roller coasters.
WORLD RECORD LENGTH: Wildebeest's length is 1,710 feet (1/3 of a mile), making it the World's Longest Water Coaster. It is also the World's First Ride-up HydroMagnetic Water Coaster.
RIDE LENGTH: 1,710 feet, the World's Longest Water Coaster.
DROPS/ANGLES: The first drop is 38 feet, at a 45-degree angle. Together with the six addition drops, combined length of the "drops" is 178 feet.
RIDE HEIGHT: Wildebeest is 64 feet tall, from the lowest to the highest heights.
SPEED: Top speeds: 36 feet/second; average speeds 20 feet/second.
RIDE TIME: 2 minutes, 30 seconds.
FOOTPRINT: Wildebeest covers 2.1 acres in Splashin' Safari.
RAFTS: 14 four-passenger rafts with individual seatbacks; seating is toboggan-style.
STAIRS: None! Riders begin at ground level and ride up a conveyor.
CAPACITY/HEIGHT LIMIT: 720 Guests per hour. Riders must be at least 42 inches tall to ride and 48 inches tall to ride without an adult. Weight limit is 800 pounds per raft.
INVESTMENT: $5.5 million, the second largest ride project in Holiday World's 64-year history.
RIDE DESIGNER: ProSlide Technology Inc., Ontario, Canada.
