SeaWorld unveils Pipeline coaster car at IAAPA

SeaWorld Orlando has shared its first in-person look at the ride vehicles for its upcoming Pipeline roller coaster. The surf-themed ride was the subject of the first news conference of this year’s IAAPA Expo at Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday.

“It is a gnarly, gigantic surfboard,” said Jonathan Smith, vice president of rides and engineering for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, who helped pull off the tarp concealing the Pipeline vehicle on the exhibit floor.

The vehicle on display is the front segment of the train, with a surfboard nose and deep orange markings. Its accents, including the harness for riders, are aqua.

“It has decals and elements to it that celebrate surf cultures from every single era,” Smith said. “It’s bright, it’s spectacular … and it’s beautiful.”

The coaster, designed to replicate the sensation of riding the waves, is scheduled to debut in spring 2023. The manufacturer is the Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard.

Construction is visible on the coaster project from the SeaWorld parking lot and from inside the theme park.

“We’re in the middle of ride installation right now. We’re building the stations and the supporting buildings for the attraction,” Smith said. “We finished the first element, which is the hammerhead wave, and then we finished a second element … and now we’re in the middle of erecting a wave curl inversion.”

Pipeline will be SeaWorld Orlando’s seventh roller coaster. The theme park opened Icebreaker earlier this year.

IAAPA Expo, an annual production of Orlando-based International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, runs through Friday.

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters or the Theme Park Rangers podcast at orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-podcast.