Surfrider

Surfrider is a steel shuttle roller coaster at Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast located at Oxenford, Gold Coast, Australia. The ride is an Intamin Half Pipe roller coaster that opened in September 2007.

Surfrider
Looking up at the Surfrider from the Extreme H2O Zone
Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast
Location	Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast
Coordinates	27°54′51.5″S 153°18′59.2″E
Status	Operating
Opening date	September 2007
General statistics
Type	Steel – Shuttle – Launched
Manufacturer	Intamin
Designer	Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH
Model	Half Pipe Roller Coaster
Lift/launch system	LSM
Height	30 m (98 ft)
Drop	25 m (82 ft)
Length	70 m (230 ft)
Inversions	0
Duration	1 minute
Max vertical angle	90°
Capacity	460 riders per hour
Height restriction	140 cm (4 ft 7 in)
Trains	Single train with a single car. Riders are arranged 6 across in 2 rows for a total of 12 riders per train.
Restraint Style	Over the Shoulder Restraints
Surfrider at RCDB Pictures of Surfrider at RCDB

History

In February 2007, roller coaster parts began arriving in Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast's car park.[1][2] The Gold Coast Bulletin later reported the ride as being an Intamin Half Pipe roller coaster with an opening date scheduled for the September school holidays.[3] In late April, Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast officially confirmed this report by announcing the Surfrider.[4] After a relatively short construction period, the ride was fully assembled by July 2007.[5] The ride opened in September 2007.[6][7][8]

Surfrider was originally planned to be installed at Sea World, a theme park owned by the same company as Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast, Village Roadshow Theme Parks. After purchasing the ride from Intamin, the location where it was to be installed was changed.[2][6]

Ride

Riders are placed in one of two cars on the train which is made to resemble a giant surfboard.[9] Each car is a free-spinning circle that holds six people.[6] The track is essentially a giant, upright U and trains are loaded at the bottom of the U.[9] Linear synchronous motors accelerate the train up both sides of the track.[10] A typical ride lasts for approximately 1 minute.[6]

Several water features were originally included to simulate riding a wave[8] but these are no longer in use.

Surfrider is listed as a seasonal attraction and does not operate in the winter months.[11]

See also

• Avatar Airbender, a similar ride at Nickelodeon Universe
• RC Racer, a similar ride at several Disney parks

References

1. "Wet'n'Wild Coaster". Parkz. 22 February 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
2. Wilson, Richard (22 February 2007). "Parts arrive for Wet'n'Wild's latest". Parkz. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
3. Meers, Daniel (2007). "Park's ride revealed". Gold Coast Bulletin.
4. Wilson, Richard (25 April 2007). "Surf Rider to debut at Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast". Parkz. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
5. Wilson, Richard (5 July 2007). "Surfrider". Parkz. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
6. "Surfrider (Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast)". Parkz. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
7. Wilson, Richard (27 September 2007). "Warner Village parks deliver strong results ahead of new attractions". Parkz. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
8. Jabour, Bridie (27 September 2007). "Giant board takes riders for a spin". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
9. Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast (22 July 2010). "Surfrider - Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast". MyFun. Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
10. Marden, Duane. "Surfrider  (Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
11. Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast (2012). "Attraction Maintenance". MyFun. Archived from the original on 9 August 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.

External links

• Official website
• Surfrider at the Roller Coaster DataBase