Following other parks in the SeaWorld family, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is adding a “screamin’ swing” attraction to its lineup in spring 2023.
Like the other rides of its kind, Serengeti Flyer is being built by S&S – Sansei Technologies. The attraction features two arms with gondolas holding 10 riders that swing progressively higher, hitting a top speed of 68 miles per hour and a maximum height of 135 feet.
“Serengeti Flyer’s thrilling ride experience is bound to provide riders with a pulse-pounding encounter that can only be found at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay,” Busch Gardens Tampa Bay park president Neal Thurman said in a press release. “We believe that Serengeti Flyer will be the perfect high-thrill addition to our world-class portfolio of attractions including Iron Gwazi, the Golden Ticket Award Winner for the Best New Roller Coaster in 2022.”
Concept art for Serengeti Flyer (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)
While Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is promoting the ride as “world’s tallest and fastest” of its kind, the stats are actually identical to Tidal Surge at SeaWorld Antonio, which opened earlier this year. In an unsigned statement, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay told Theme Park Tribune that Serengeti Flyer will “share the superlative for ‘world’s tallest and fastest ride of its kind’ with Tidal Surge.”
The ride will be the third S&S Screamin’ Swing added to a SeaWorld park since 2019, following Tidal Surge and 2019’s Finnegan’s Flyer at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Serengeti Flyer is also the fifth new-for-2023 ride confirmed across the SeaWorld chain. SeaWorld San Diego, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and SeaWorld Orlando are all opening new roller coasters next year, while SeaWorld San Antonio is adding the world’s first launched flume ride.
Correction: An earlier version of this article inaccurately stated that Tidal Surge is located at SeaWorld San Diego, when it is actually located at SeaWorld San Antonio. Theme Park Tribune apologizes for the error.