Six Flags Great Adventure is aiming to rewrite the roller coaster record books with a towering new attraction designed to send riders rocketing skyward, spinning and launching upside down in a ride unlike anything built before.
The New Jersey theme park unveiled plans Tuesday for Bakunawa, a new roller coaster inspired by a legendary sea serpent from Philippine folklore. When it opens in 2027, the ride is expected to break six world records while becoming one of the tallest roller coasters in the world.
Bakunawa will stand 382 feet tall and reach speeds of up to 100 mph along a 3,163-foot track. Riders will blast through three launches, including what Six Flags says will be the world's first upside-down launch, aboard free-spinning, floorless trains that rotate throughout the ride, making each trip slightly different.
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"You're going to climb 90 degrees straight up to the top of the 382-foot-tall tower, reaching the top and kind of sliding around the outside, which looks terrifying and amazing at the same time, before losing speed," said Mike Fehnel, park president for Six Flags Great Adventure, according to USA Today. "And then you get to do it all again in reverse."
According to the park, Bakunawa will become the world's fastest and tallest spinning coaster. It also is expected to set records for the fastest inversion, longest stall inversion, first floorless spinning coaster and first upside-down launch.
The ride takes its name from Bakunawa, a mythical serpent said to rise from the sea and devour the moon. Riders will climb to the top of the coaster's towering spire before briefly pausing — facing the sky, the ground or somewhere in between depending on the train's rotation — and then plunging back toward Earth.
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Bakunawa will be the centerpiece of a revamped Boardwalk area at Six Flags Great Adventure, although the park has not announced a specific opening date or shared additional details about the renovation.
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The coaster will use two trains carrying 20 riders each, with a minimum height requirement of 48 inches. Each ride will last about two minutes and 17 seconds.
