Tidal Wave (Six Flags Magic Mountain)

Last updated
Tidal Wave
SFMM- Tidal Wave 1.JPG
Tidal Wave was a Shoot the Chute water ride, featuring a 50-foot (15 m) splashdown into a large body of water.
Six Flags Magic Mountain
AreaMetropolis
StatusRemoved
Opening dateJune 3, 1989 (1989-06-03)
Closing date2019
ReplacedChevron Grand Prix
Replaced by Wonder Woman Flight of Courage
General statistics
Type Shoot-the-Chutes
Manufacturer Intamin
ModelShoot the Chute
Lift system1 conveyor belt lift hill
Height50 ft (15 m)
Drop50 ft (15 m)
Max vertical angle50°
Duration1:25
Boats2 boats. Riders are arranged 4 across in 5 rows for a total of 20 riders per boat.
Restraint styleRow lap bar
Height restriction42 in (107 cm)
Fastpass availability icon.svg Flash Pass available
Wheelchair symbol.svg Wheelchair accessible
Entrance to Tidal Wave. SFMM- Tidal Wave 2.JPG
Entrance to Tidal Wave.

Tidal Wave was a Shoot-the-Chutes water ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. [1] The ride was located in the Metropolis portion of the park. The ride's theme was related to a tropical environment featuring several palms and trees. The entrance to the ride was located next to The Riddler's Revenge which is near to JB's Smokehouse BBQ (now Ace O’ Clubs) but in 2017, the entrance was moved to the front of the Boardwalk section of the park to fit with the new theme for 2018. [2] The ride was open from the spring season to late September. The ride temporarily closed in early October for Magic Mountain's annual Fright Fest event; the ride's line was used for a maze. During the winter months, the ride was closed to drain the water and clean the ride along with the splash area. The entrance to the Flash Pass was located at the right side exit of the ride. The ride had two large boats which seat a maximum of 20 riders. [1] Both of the boats were typically used every day.

Contents

History

Tidal Wave opened on June 3, 1989 after there was demand for another water ride in the north section of the park. [3] The park's first log flume, the Log Jammer, opened in 1971 near the entrance of the park. [4] One year later, Jet Stream, a water flume ride featuring a 57-foot (17 m) drop opened near Goldrusher's entrance. While Six Flags Magic Mountain already had two flume rides, the park was missing a shoot-the-chutes ride. [1] Construction began after the tracks of Granny Gran Prix were removed in order to make room for the new water ride. When Tidal Wave opened in 1989, it drew a lot of crowds into the Movie District area.[ citation needed ] Ever since the ride opened in 1989, the ride has undergone no changes.[ citation needed ]In 1990, the ride made an appearance in the Kidsongs episode ''Ride the Roller Coaster''.

In 2017, Tidal Wave closed for maintenance so a new entrance could be added. The ride reopened along with Justice League: Battle for Metropolis on June 12, 2017. [5] [6]

Tidal Wave’s last day of operation was towards the end on 2019 before Fright Fest as a sign was posted at its entrance was it was undergoing maintenance but the ride never reopened. The attraction has been closed since Magic Mountain's reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic and it was removed from the park's website in 2021. [7]

As of August 2021, the ride has been completely removed with the turnaround being the last remnant of the ride demolished. The entrance and foliage still remain though they are also likely to be removed.

Ride

Tidal Wave featured one 50-foot (15 m) drop which ended in a large body of water which created a large splash. The 20-seat boat was dispatched from the station and it proceeded by going up a 50-foot-tall (15 m) conveyor belt. As the boat ascended up, many riders enjoyed seeing the right side of Tidal Wave to see the overall track of Green Lantern: First Flight. [1] Once at the top of the lift hill, the boat began turning left 180 degrees. During this stage, the boat gained some speed in order to prepare for the drop. Once the boat was at this point, it began dropping down the 50-foot (15 m) drop. One of the unique features of Tidal Wave's drop was that it was not completely straight down. The drop featured a small bump which gave the boat more speed and created more thrill to the riders. Once the boat approached the large body of water, the boat produced 50,000 cubic feet (1,400 m3) of wave water over 20 feet (6.1 m). [1] The boat then proceeded moving slowly along the flume and turned 180 degrees to the left to enter the station.

Height requirements

In order for guests to ride Tidal Wave, riders had to be at least 42 inches (110 cm). [8] Those who were less than 42 inches (110 cm) were unable to ride due to safety reasons, though Six Flags Magic Mountain labeled the ride as a family friendly ride. For additional safety, the boats featured a lap bar restraint for each row.

See also

Related Research Articles

Six Flags Great Adventure Theme park in Jackson, New Jersey

Six Flags Great Adventure is an amusement park located in Jackson, New Jersey. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park complex is situated between New York City and Philadelphia and includes a water park named Hurricane Harbor. It first opened to the public as Great Adventure in 1974 under the direction of restaurateur Warner LeRoy. Six Flags acquired the park in 1977.

Raging Waters are a chain of three water theme parks in Sacramento, San Dimas, and San Jose, California. The parks are operated by Palace Entertainment and owned by its parent company Parques Reunidos, but they each contain different attractions. The parks are generally closed during the winter months.

Thorpe Park British Theme Park

Thorpe Park Resort, commonly known as Thorpe Park, is an amusement park located in the village of Thorpe between the towns of Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England. It is operated and owned by Merlin Entertainments and includes rides, themed cabins, live events and Stealth, the UK's fastest rollercoaster. In 2019 Thorpe park was the UK's third most visited theme park (1.9m) behind Alton Towers. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 the park only had a 125-day operation season along with limited capacity. As a result of this the park had a huge decrease in attendance. However Thorpe park was the second most attended park in the UK behind Alton Towers in 2020.

Six Flags New England Theme park in Agawam, Massachusetts

Six Flags New England, formerly known as Gallup's Grove (1870–1886), Riverside Grove (1887–1911), Riverside Park (1912–1995) and Riverside: The Great Escape (1996-1999), is an amusement park located in Agawam, Massachusetts, a western suburb of Springfield, Massachusetts. Opening in the late 19th century, it is the oldest amusement park in the Six Flags chain, acquired by Premier Parks in 1996 and rebranded Six Flags New England in 2000. Superman the Ride is among the park's most notable rides, having appeared as a highly ranked roller coaster in the annual Golden Ticket Awards from Amusement Today since the ride opened in 2000.

Six Flags Over Georgia Theme park in Austell, Georgia

Six Flags Over Georgia is a 290-acre (1.2 km2) theme park located in the unincorporated Cobb County of Austell, Georgia, United States. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain following the original Six Flags Over Texas, which opened in 1961.

Valleyfair Amusement park

Valleyfair is a 125-acre (51 ha) amusement park in Shakopee, Minnesota, United States. Owned by Cedar Fair, the park opened in 1976 and now features over 75 rides and attractions including eight roller coasters. Valleyfair also has a water park called Soak City which is included with the price of admission. Cedar Point and Valleyfair were the first two parks in the Cedar Fair chain and a combination of the park names – "cedar" and "fair" – were used to name the company.

Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure is a water park and amusement park, located off Interstate 20/59 in Bessemer, Alabama, just west of Birmingham and east of Tuscaloosa. It is owned by Koch Family Parks, which consists of members of the family who formerly had minority ownership in Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.

Six Flags Magic Mountain Theme park in Valencia, California

Six Flags Magic Mountain, formerly known simply as Magic Mountain, is a 262-acre (106 ha) theme park located in Valencia, California, 35 miles (56 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It opened on May 29, 1971, as a development of the Newhall Land and Farming Company and Sea World Inc. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name "Six Flags" to the park's name.

Six Flags Great America Amusement park in Gurnee, Illinois

Six Flags Great America is an amusement park located in Gurnee, Illinois, within the northern Chicago metropolitan area. Originally opened in 1976 by the Marriott Corporation as Marriott's Great America, Six Flags has owned and operated the park since 1984. It features four themed areas and fifteen roller coasters, as well as a 20-acre (81,000 m2) water park called Hurricane Harbor Chicago. Over 3 million guests visited Six Flags Great America in 2017, ranking it among the top 20 amusement parks in North America for attendance.

Disneys Typhoon Lagoon one of two water parks at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon is a water theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida near Orlando, and is one of two operating water parks at the resort. It is the second water park to open at the resort, preceded by Disney's River Country which closed in November 2001.

The Riddlers Revenge Roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain

The Riddler's Revenge is a stand-up roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride opened as the park's eleventh roller coaster on April 4, 1998, setting multiple world records among stand-up coasters. Originally located in the Movie District section of the park, which later became Metropolis in 2017, The Riddler's Revenge was also the park's single biggest investment at a cost of $14 million. It features a height of 156 feet (48 m), a maximum speed of 65 mph (105 km/h), six inversions, and a track length of 4,370 feet (1,330 m).

Shockwave (Six Flags Great America) Defunct roller coaster at Six Flags Great America

Shockwave was a roller coaster manufactured by Arrow Dynamics at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. Standing 170 feet (52 m) tall and reaching speeds of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), it opened in 1988 as the world's tallest and fastest looping roller coaster with a record-breaking seven inversions: three vertical loops, a boomerang, and two regular corkscrews. Shockwave was closed in 2002 and has been dismantled.

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom Amusement park in Pennsylvania

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is an American amusement and water park owned and operated by Cedar Fair and located in between Allentown and Emmaus, Pennsylvania. The park features seven roller coasters, other adult and children's rides, and a waterpark, Wildwater Kingdom.

Log flume (ride) Type of amusement ride

Log flumes are amusement rides consisting of a water flume and artificial hollow logs or boats. Passengers sit in the logs, which are propelled along the flume by the flow of water.

Apocalypse: The Ride Wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain

Apocalypse: The Ride, formerly known as Terminator Salvation: The Ride, is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. Manufactured by Great Coasters International, the roller coaster opened to the public on May 23, 2009. It is located in the Cyclone Bay section of the amusement park on a plot of land formerly occupied by the Psyclone (1991-2007), Shockwave (1986-1988) and Sarajevo Bobsleds (1984-1986). It was the first wooden coaster to feature onboard audio, and its Terminator theme was short-lived following a corporate restructuring by Six Flags in 2011.

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Rockford

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Rockford is a water park owned by the Rockford Park District and operated by Six Flags. It is located in Cherry Valley, Winnebago County, Illinois, and located next to the interchange between Interstate 39/U.S. Route 51 and Interstate 90 near U.S. Route 20.

Power Surge (water ride)

Power Surge was a shoot-the-chutes water attraction designed by Intamin located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas that opened with the park on March 14, 1992. In mid-July 2017, park officials announced that it would retire on July 23. Safety issues were not a factor in removing the ride. The ride closed permanently on July 23, 2017.

Jet Stream (Six Flags Magic Mountain) Log flume at Six Flags Magic Mountain

Jet Stream is a log flume ride that opened in 1972 at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita, California. Jet Stream was made by Arrow Dynamics, the same company that built Log Jammer and Gold Rusher, the park's first roller coaster. It was built since management thought that another flume ride would attract more visitors. Jet Stream is placed on the backside of the hill that the park is on, opposite of where Log Jammer stood, to ensure that guests could reach a log flume wherever they were to cool down.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Kurt (August 21, 2012). "Ride Profile: Tidal Wave". The Coaster Guy. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Ride Profile: Six Flags Magic Mountain Full 2013 Map" (PDF). Six Flags. January 10, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  3. ↑ Chambers, Carlos (June 2, 1989). "'Tidal Wave' to make splash". The Signal. Signal Staff Writer. Retrieved August 20, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Flat Rides". Incrediblecoasters.com. January 16, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Justice League: Battle for Metropolis Construction Tour - March 10th 2017". Coaster Kings. March 11, 2017.
  6. ↑ Six Flags MM [@SFMagicMountain] (29 June 2017). "Just Announced! JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis opens to the public on July 12! Who's ready to Join the Leagu…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ↑ https://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain/attractions/tidal-wave-2
  8. ↑ "Six Flags- Magic Mountain: Height Requirements". January 16, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.