For the longest time SeaWorld San Antonio didn’t have enough adult rides to warrant a
countdown of its best rides, but with the opening of Tidal Surge in 2022, they finally have enough.
So in this video, I will rank the top 10 rides at this SeaWorld park.
Before starting the countdown, I want to note that this list will only include the
mechanical rides. I don’t think it’s fair to compare animal exhibits and shows with
something like a roller coaster. While I know many enthusiasts who visit this
park exclusively for the coasters, you’re doing a major disservice if you skip the
animal experiences. They’re a fundamental part of any SeaWorld visit in my opinion.
There also will not be any slides at Aquatica. I have only visited the Orlando location at this
point, but this park does have a clone of Ihu’s Breakway Falls, which is better than most rides
at the theme park. Onto the list.
10) Super Grover’s Box Car Derby- I still had to include one kiddie ride on here. This Zierer
kiddie coaster has a small oval layout, but the bunny hill can actually give a little pop
of airtime if you sit in the front row. And this one is comfortable for any rider- big or small.
9) Riptide Rescue- This Huss airboat is a toned down troika. I like the look of the vehicles
and there are some near-misses, but the forces aren’t there compared to other spinning rides.
8) Journey to Atlantis- This Mack water coaster has a basic layout. More or less,
it’s just a gimmicky shoot the chute. After the lift, you have a turntable and a backwards drop.
The latter does have a slight freefall sensation. But the main drop is the highlight. It’s big and
you get a little lift. Then the splash is refreshing in that stifling Texas heat.
I wish the ride had more theming elements like the other Journey to Atlantises,
but it’s still a solid water ride. 7) Sea Swinger- This is a solid Zamperla
frisbee. Other models have more intense, but each max swing gives a nice pop of airtime and
the cycle is considerably longer than another pendulum ride you’ll see later on this list.
6) Rio Loco- This Intamin river rapids ride has a turbulent waterway with a good amount of rapids.
Every few sends a solid splash into the boat to keep everyone on their toes.
But the grand finale is the real soaker. You have a massive waterfall that has a good chance
to hit the boat. And because of this ride’s secluded layout, you cannot see it coming.
5) Wave Breaker- This Intamin motocoaster has a brilliant location above the water.
It’s perfect for the jet ski theme. The tire-drive launches have some yank to them.
While this ride doesn’t have any notable hills, the low turns have
a bit of force to them combined with the cool visual that you’re skimming across the water.
Check out my review for more on this ride if you’re interested.
4) Tidal Surge- This jumbo S&S screamin’ swing is a powerful ride. It has the same short cycle
plaguing the other installations, but the forces are superior. The max swings have incredible speed
and positive Gs. Then the airtime at the apex is fantastic. You get good sustained floater airtime.
And when you’re pushed forwards, the angle makes it feel like you’re inverting.
It’s a really neat sensation and visual. 3) Great White- This Bolliger & Mabillard invert
is a familiar Batman the Ride clone. While this layout can be found at several parks across the
globe, I always enjoy the layout. It’s a forceful blitz of inversions and turns. The vertical loops
cause me to greyout. The zero-G roll has some serious whip. The turns get my legs tingling. And
the corkscrews have are very snappy. And this ride is still smooth after 2.5 decades of operation.
2) Texas Stingray- Number one and two can easily flip depending how they’re running. When I first
rode Texas Stingray, the ride eventually closed due to low temperatures. So I had a theory I
hadn’t experienced it at full force. I recently returned to the park on a considerably warmer
day and the ride was a bit better. The first half was equally as great. There’s a perfect balance of
sustained floater airtime, aggressive pops, and good laterals. Then the finale had more speed.
There were a few extra lateral and airtime moments, which made the coaster more complete.
It has developed a bit of a shimmy which is worth monitoring, but
it’s still perfectly rerideable for me right now. 1) Steel Eel- This Morgan mini hyper is a floater
airtime machine. This coaster offers some of the most sustained airtime on the planet,
especially because of how freeing those lap bar restraints are. I especially love the
third drop. It seems like you’re falling forever. And when the mid-course trim isn’t hitting hard,
the return run has similarly great floater airtime. The one downside with this coaster
is that the landings after each airtime moment can be uncomfortable due to the lack of seat padding,
but I’ll take the oodles of airtime most days. So those are the top 10 rides at SeaWorld San
Antonio. I suspect most people will have the same top 2, but which do you prefer-
Steel Eel or Texas Stingray? Let me know down in the comments. If you enjoyed this countdown, I’d
appreciate it if you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a
lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!