A new twist on a log flume ride will open at SeaWorld San Antonio in 2023.
Catapult Falls will be the world’s first “launched flume coaster,” according to SeaWorld, at a speed of approximately 20 miles per hour. The ride will also feature a vertical lift and multiple drops, including one angled at 53 degrees, which SeaWorld says is another record for a flume ride.
Catapult Falls rendering (SeaWorld)
The 55-foot final drop will reach a top speed of 37 miles per hour.
“Catapult Falls will be the perfect addition to our already fantastic line up of family rides,” SeaWorld San Antonio president Byron Surrett said in a press release. “Not only will it provide thrills for those wanting the exhilaration of a coaster-type ride, but being a water ride, it will give guests one more way to cool down in the hot Texas temperatures. It will be the perfect family adventure ride.”
Whether the new ride counts as a roller coaster — always a hot topic among coaster enthusiasts — remains to be determined. Log flume rides, such as Disney’s various Splash Mountain installations, are generally not considered roller coasters. Other coasters do contain water elements, however, including SeaWorld San Antonio’s own Journey to Atlantis.
The layout of Catapult Falls (SeaWorld)
Catapult Falls will be SeaWorld San Antonio’s biggest addition since the Texas Stingray wooden coaster opened in February 2020, weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the park added a 105-foot-tall flat ride, the swinging Tidal Surge.