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Aquaman: Power Wave

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Coordinates: 32°45′22″N 97°04′16″W / 32.756°N 97.071°W / 32.756; -97.071
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Aquaman: Power Wave
Six Flags Over Texas
LocationSix Flags Over Texas
Park sectionUSA
Coordinates32°45′22″N 97°04′16″W / 32.756°N 97.071°W / 32.756; -97.071
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateFebruary 25, 2023 (2023-02-25)[2]
Opening dateMarch 11, 2023 (2023-03-11)[1]
ReplacedAquaman Splashdown
General statistics
TypeSteel – Shuttle – Launched
ManufacturerMack Rides
Lift/launch systemLSM launch
Height146.3 ft (44.6 m)
Length708.7 ft (216.0 m)
Speed62.1 mph (99.9 km/h)
Max vertical angle90°
Capacity731 riders per hour
Trains2 trains with a single car. Riders are arranged 4 across in 5 rows for a total of 20 riders per train.
Aquaman: Power Wave at RCDB

Aquaman: Power Wave is a steel launched shuttle roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas themed to the DC Comics character Aquaman.[3]

History

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On August 29, 2019, Six Flags Over Texas announced Aquaman: Power Wave for the 2020 season of the park.[3][4][5] The roller coaster replaced the former Aquaman Splashdown attraction near the park entrance.[5] Aquaman: Power Wave is considered one of the top 10 new roller coasters anticipated for the 2020 season according to USA Today.[6] Construction of the new roller coaster started and finished in February 2020.[7][8]

Due to the growing concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic, Six Flags announced a suspension of operations across the company on March 13, 2020.[9] This included all operations at Six Flags Over Texas, including the prep work for the new coaster. The park resumed operations on June 19, 2020, with Aquaman: Power Wave still fenced in for construction.[10] Earlier in April 2020, Six Flags announced measures for the company to survive the coronavirus pandemic, including deferring capital projects across the company that was slated for the 2020 season.[11] In December 2020, Six Flags Over Texas responded to a user on Twitter questioning the status of Aquaman: Power Wave.[12] The park stated that the coaster would now open in 2022.[12][13]

On the 60th anniversary of the park (August 5, 2021), Six Flags Over Texas announced that Aquaman: Power Wave was going to be modified with a turntable station to accommodate two 20-passenger boats.[14] Originally, when the roller coaster was announced, the ride was to feature just one boat and no turntable station.[3]

The park announced on all of its social media accounts a third delay to the roller coaster, setting the new ride to open for the 2023 season.[15][16] Citing the effects of supply chain issues and labor shortages, help caused for the delay.[16][17]

Six Flags Over Texas announced on February 15, 2023, that the roller coaster would open the following month on March 11.[1][18] The park soft opened Aquaman: Power Wave two weeks before the set opening day of the roller coaster for season pass holders.[2]

Not long after opening, the ride received new two-way lockers, in which a door swings open on one side to insert belongings, and then swings open on the other side as guests exit the ride to retrieve them.[19]

Ride experience

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Aquaman: Power Wave is similar to the Pulsar roller coaster at Walibi Belgium.

Aquaman: Power Wave is 146.3 feet (44.6 m) in height, reaches a maximum speed of 62.1 miles per hour (99.9 km/h), and has a track length of 708.7 feet (216.0 m).[3] The ride features two vehicles, each seating 20 riders in 5 rows of 4 riders each. The ride can accommodate a maximum of 950 riders per hour when using two vehicles.[20]

After riders are loaded, the turntable rotates, and the vehicle lines up with the track. Once the track is locked in place, the vehicle accelerates backward over a small hill before traveling through a straight section of track. This straight section of track goes through the ride's splashdown pool. The water in the pool is low enough at this point in the ride that the vehicle can travel over it. The car continues part of the way up a vertical spike before losing momentum and reversing direction. It then travels forward over the pool and launches with a much faster forward acceleration into a second vertical spike, and then comes back down the spike before entering a second backward launch. While the car is on the vertical spike at the back end of the ride's layout, water flows from the side reservoirs into the splashdown pool, raising the level in about six seconds. The car then travels down the spike and enters the splashdown pool which is now high enough to interact with the boat, soaking all riders. This also serves to slow the car down before the end of the ride to unload riders.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b "90-degree drops, 63 mph and a splashdown: Six Flags Over Texas has a new roller coaster". WFAA. February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Ferguson, Lana (February 27, 2023). "You can ride Six Flags Over Texas' Aquaman coaster before its grand opening. Here's how". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Rodriguez, Jiselle (August 29, 2019). "Six Flag Over Texas announces water-coaster 'Aquaman: Power Wave' to make a big splash in 2020". WFAA.com. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  4. ^ "Six Flags Over Texas will be open year-round in 2020, add new water coaster". Fox4News.com. August 29, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Ciesco, Tim (August 29, 2019). "Six Flags, Hurricane Harbor Announce 2020 Attractions, Park to Stay Open Year Round". NBCDFW.com. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  6. ^ Levine, Arthur (January 4, 2020). "The 10 most anticipated roller coasters of 2020: Iron Gwazi, Orion, Aquaman: Power Wave". USATODAY.com. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  7. ^ "Six Flags' new Aquaman roller-coaster the 'first-of-its-kind'". KWTX.com. February 10, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  8. ^ "New Aquaman 'Power Wave' coaster looks to make a splash with guests at Six Flags Over Texas". KLTV.com. March 5, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  9. ^ "Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Fiesta Texas suspend operations through the end of March". March 13, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  10. ^ "Six Flags Over Texas and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Announce Reopening Dates". June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  11. ^ Smith, Rich (April 8, 2020). "Six Flags Suspends Dividend, Withdraws Guidance". NASDAQ.com. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  12. ^ a b @SixFlagsOverTX (December 12, 2020). "We're looking forward to the opening of AQUAMAN: Power Wave, now coming in 2022!..." (Tweet). Retrieved January 7, 2021 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ @SixFlagsOverTX (January 1, 2021). "...We plan on opening Aquaman: Power Wave in 2022" (Tweet). Retrieved January 7, 2021 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "Six Flags Over Texas Announces 'Pirates of Speelunker Cave' Ride". Six Flags Over Texas. August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  15. ^ @SixFlagsOverTX (July 6, 2022). "RIDE UPDATE: ... AQUAMAN: Power Wave will officially open in spring 2023" (Tweet). Retrieved July 7, 2022 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ a b Wedding, Paul (July 7, 2022). "New Aquaman ride at Six Flags Over Texas still yet to surface due to supply chain, labor issues". WFAA. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  17. ^ "Aquaman: Power Wave Debut Delayed Again to 2023". SFOT Source. July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  18. ^ Ferguson, Lana (February 15, 2023). "Six Flags' highly anticipated new thrill ride AQUAMAN opens in March. Here's what to know". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  19. ^ "El Sombrero Refurbishment, New Ride Lockers, Park-Wide Projects".
  20. ^ Marden, Duane. "Aquaman: Power Wave  (Six Flags Over Texas)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  21. ^ Weisenberger, Nick (August 31, 2019). ""How Aquaman Power Wave Works"". coaster101.com. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
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