SeaWorld Orlando has revealed the ride vehicle for its upcoming SEAQuest: Legends of the Deep, an indoor attraction that will sway left and right while moving forward in a simulated underwater experience.
The vehicle, unveiled on the show floor of the IAAPA Expo at Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, will replicate the actions of a submarine without the tight quarters. The open-air vehicle will be suspended from a rail with gravity helping with the programmed movement.
“We’re really excited about all of that dynamic motion,” said Conner Carr, corporate vice president, rides and engineering for United Parks & Resorts, parent of SeaWorld Orlando theme park.
“One of the really cool things about this one is how fluid the motion is … so being suspended, it actually gives you the feeling of flying through the water,” he said.
The ride, announced in September, is under construction at the theme park and is scheduled to open to the public sometime in 2026. The experience will last between four and five minutes, Carr said.
“You’re going to board in the station, and then you’re going to depart. You’re going to go down to the depths of the sea, and you’re going to go through all different kinds of underwater environments,” he said. “You’re going to go through different mysteries and discoveries … and obviously the most important thing you’re going to see is all the animals along the way.”
The vehicles will have onboard speakers and the ability to spin 360 degrees.
The ride’s manufacturer is Vekoma, a Dutch firm with an office in downtown Orlando. It’s the company’s first project for SeaWorld Orlando.
“This ride system is such a perfect fit,” said Ricardo Etges, Vekoma’s vice president for sales and marketing for the Americas. “You’ll be suspended and be able to see everything that is at the bottom of the ocean.”
The vehicles will hold four or five people, and the height requirement will be low. Those factors will make SEAQuest a family-friendly attraction, executives say. Each vehicle will move independently.
“Then at the station you’re going to have the conveyor belt to really expedite load and unload,” Etges said.
“There’s going to be some excitement and adventure built-in there too. It is a theme-park ride,” Carr said. “The true base of the ride is exploration. … We’re not on a mission. It’s truly just to go where no one’s gone before and see what no one’s ever been able to see before at the bottom of the ocean.”
IAAPA Expo continues through Friday.
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