An Inside Look at Our Coasters

A lot of folks may think that when SeaWorld closes for the season, we turn the rides off and two months later we just turn them back on again and re-open. The truth is much more involved and very interesting. All of our rides go through an annual check up, and for our coasters that involves taking them apart, inspecting the pieces, and then putting them all back together.

Close-up of a wheel on the Great White

Each ride has different maintenance requirements, similar to your car's recommended maintenance schedule. The difference is that we treat the manufacture's recommendations as requirements. We keep track of all our ride's run times as certain parts have to be checked after so many hours of operation, and replaced as needed. Add to that the annual inspection and you can see that our ride maintenance team is very busy all year long.

Let's use the wheels on the Great White, our suspended coaster, as an example. There are 96 wheels on the Great White: 32 guide wheels that keep the train following the track, 32 road wheels that ride on top of the track, and 32 uplift wheels that keep the train on the track during periods of negative G's. All of the wheels are inspected to assess wear and to ensure they are still round. Flat spots or nicks make for a rough ride! At the same time all the parts connected to the wheels are inspected, greased if needed and reassembled.

Chain dog on the Great White

The Great White lift is 108 feet tall, requiring a very large chain to pull the train to the top. Each link is inspected for unusual wear, the chain dogs that hook into the chain are inspected, as are the anti-roll backs that would keep the train from rolling backwards on the lift if the chain or chain dogs failed. Seatbelts, harnesses, and seat padding are all inspected and replaced as needed. In short every piece of the train is thoroughly inspected, and anything showing unusual wear is replaced. Aside from ride hardware, all of the electronics are tested: photo eyes, proximity switches, brakes, controls, and emergency stop buttons. Everything to ensure that the ride is ready for our guests.

General quality checks are performed as well, and anything that looks worn or old is replaced, painted, and cleaned. Whatever is necessary to keep the rides looking as new as possible. When all is said and done, the rides go through hours of test runs to make sure they are operating as intended. If anything major is replaced, the ride undergoes 24 hours of continuous testing before anyone rides. Each and every one of our rides receives the same level of attention, allowing guests to experience an enjoyable and safe ride. Hats off to the ride maintenance team that makes it all happen!

Gotta go, burning daylight!