Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a Bolliger and Mabillard dive machine.
While Griffon was one of the first dive machines to open in North America, I think it’s the
best.
So in this video, I will review Griffon and explain why it should not be overlooked when
compared to B&M’s newer dive machines.
In 1998, Bolliger and Mabillard debuted the first dive machine in Oblivion at Alton Towers.
This was a new model from B&M with a thrilling and theatrical near vertical plunge into a
tunnel.
While Oblivion had a simple layout, the drop was among the best of any coaster.
North America wouldn’t see their first dive machine until Busch Gardens Tampa opened SheiKra
in 2005, but it had a more ambitious layout than the prototype.
The ride was taller classifying as a hyper coaster, featured a vertical drop, and multiple
inversions.
SheiKra was extremely well-received, so its no surprise Busch Gardens added another dive
machine to their Williamsburg park shortly thereafter.
Griffon opened at Busch Gardens Williamsburg for the 2007 season.
And it improved further upon ShieKra.
The layouts are near identical, but Griffon was 5 feet taller standing 205 feet or 62.5
meters tall.
And Griffon received floorless trains, which made the harrowing vertical drop even scarier
for those in the front row.
These floorless trains were added to SheiKra one month after Griffon opened and have become
standard on every dive coaster since.
Griffon is the most imposing coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
While Apollo’s Chariot is a tall coaster on its own and actually features a larger
drop, that coaster is out in the woods far from the midway.
In fact, many of Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s coasters go out into the woods so much of
their layouts are obscured.
But Griffon is front and center.
The coaster can be seen from most sections of the park.
Much of Griffon hugs the midway, diving below and around pathways, so guests can walk right
up next to this imposing attraction.
Griffon is located in the France section of the park.
The ride replaced the Le Mans Raceway.
While the coaster itself isn’t really themed, the coaster is very photogenic with its size,
graceful maneuvers, and sky blue track.
Despite being arguably the most popular attraction at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Griffon usually
has a very manageable wait.
Most weekdays, I rarely have to wait more than 15-20 minutes and on weekends, the longest
wait I’ve personally waited in has been a half hour.
And the line constantly moves due to the 30 person trains, reasonably fast dispatches,
and consistent multi-train operations.
If you want to ride in the front row, you’ll have to wait a little longer.
Most people understandably want to ride up front for the unobstructed view on the ride’s
iconic drop.
And those visuals are fantastic.
But if you want the most forceful ride, you want to ride Griffon in the back row.
While Griffon may have a super short 3 row train, the back definitely has more oomph
on the ride’s two largest drops.
Unlike some of the newer dive machines that have the tighter vest restraints, Griffon
has the original B&M over-the-shoulder restraints.
And I much prefer these restraints on dive machines.
While the vest restraints hug your body and can detract from the airtime on the ride’s
drops, Griffon’s over-the-shoulder restraints are a little looser.
This allows riders to float out of their seat a bit more on the vertical drops.
The benefit of vest restraints is that they eliminate the risk of headbanging, but Griffon-
like many of the dive machines- is glass smooth so headbanging is never an issue.
Griffon begins with a turn out of the station and then you ascend the very steep lift hill.
The lift has an angle of 47 degrees, which is steeper than any drop on a decent chunk
of roller coasters.
Once you reach the top, you get a wide variety of views.
At first, you get a gorgeous panoramic view of the park.
Then, you can see Chesapeake Bay off in the distance.
But as you approach the drop, the scenic views disappear and are replaced with a birds-eye
view of the nearby Anheuser Busch beer factory.
I sort of wish the drop was positioned towards Chesapeake Bay so you could spend more time
admiring that view, but it’s a very minor critique.
This turn leads into the ride’s signature holding brake.
And this is one of the most ingenious features B&M has ever added to any of their roller
coasters.
Being held above the ride’s largest drop catches the eye of guests off-ride.
And on-ride, it really builds the anticipation.
It’s a surreal feeling staring straight at the ground for a few seconds straight from
200+ feet in the air.
The view is most effective in the front row or on an edge seat, but the suspense is palpable
in any row.
After a few seconds, the holding brake releases and the thrills begin.
The first drop delivers several seconds of sustained floater airtime the whole way down.
The drop is pure bliss.
But it’s extra special if you’re in the back row.
Riders in the back row are whipped over the super sharp apex of the drop, so back row
riders get forcefully lifted out of their seat before experiencing the sustained floater
airtime.
The other rows gently lift out of their seat on the drop.
The drop dives under a bridge, giving a solid near-miss.
Now I know dive machines are often called forceless, but this pullout has some strong,
sustained positive Gs and I usually start greying out on this pullout.
The ride pulls a maximum of 4 Gs and I’m almost certain this is where it occurs.
I usually don’t regain my vision until I’m at the apex of the following element, the
146 foot or 44 meter tall Immelmann.
This giant inversion maintains the positive Gs from the pullout through the ascent.
The flip itself isn’t anything special in most rows, but if you’re in the back row,
you get a tiny pop of airtime as the train uncorks back towards the ground.
You then twist up into the mid-course brake run.
Front row riders will get a small pop of airtime on this element, but the other rows will miss
those negative Gs.
The mid-course trim hits very hard and really slows Griffon’s train, which sort of gives
Griffon a pseudo holding brake effect on the subsequent drop.
The second half kicks things off with a second vertical drop, this one standing 130 feet
or 40 meters tall.
While shorter than the first drop, the sustained floater airtime is just as sustained.
And as before, back row riders are more forcefully lifted out of their seat for the start of
the descent.
The pullout from this drop delivers another solid dose of positive Gs.
The Gs aren’t sustained as long as the first drop’s pullout though.
This is followed by the ride’s second and final inversion, another Immelmann.
This one is smaller than the first, but it’s unfortunately a rather forceless and forgettable
element.
Griffon then climbs back up the hillside over a little speed hill that delivers some solid
floater airtime throughout the train.
And this leads into another picturesque moment on Griffon, the splashdown.
Fins on the back of the train create a massive splash that can drench onlookers.
And if you’re towards the back of the train, you’ll get a light spritzing.
It’s an exciting visual off-ride, but hard to see onride unless you awkwardly turn your
head 180 degrees.
Griffon then glides around a slow turn and then has one last surprise, a small hop into
the brake run.
And this element gives a decent pop of airtime, which is a good way to end Griffon’s 3108
feet or 947 meters of track.
Two of the biggest criticisms with dive machines are that they’re one trick ponies and have
poor pacing.
Griffon is far from a one trick pony.
Griffon features not one, but two great drops plus a few airtime hills in the second half.
The inversions aren’t elite, but they do add some variety.
Griffon is a bit deficient in the pacing department, mostly due to the mid-course trim and some
filler elements, but it is above average for a dive machine.
So what would I rate Griffon?
I would give this dive machine an 8 out of 10.
As I mentioned earlier, Griffon is my favorite dive machine, narrowly edging out Yukon Striker.
Griffon has two great drops and a unique second half with some bunny hills you don’t really
get on the other dive coasters.
Plus this coaster is extremely reridable and its one I usually ride multiple times every
time I visit Busch Gardens.
So those are my thoughts on Griffon, the B&M dive machine at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Have you been on Griffon?
Do you also think it’s the best dive coaster out there?
I would love to hear your thoughts on this coaster down in the comments.
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