SheiKra is a steel Dive Coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida, designed by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger and Mabillard. When it opened on May 21, 2005, it became the first Dive Coaster in North America and immediately set records as the world’s tallest, fastest, and longest coaster of its type, standing 200 feet tall and reaching a top speed of 70 mph.
Named after an African hawk known for plunging straight down on its prey, SheiKra lives up to its name by holding riders at the crest of a 90-degree drop for a suspended moment before plunging them straight down. In 2007, the ride was upgraded to a floorless configuration, removing the floor beneath riders’ feet and intensifying the sensation of open-air freefall on every inch of its 3,188-foot track.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Tampa, Florida
- Manufacturer: Bolliger and Mabillard
- Opened: May 21, 2005
- Floorless Conversion: June 16, 2007
- Height: 200 ft (61 m)
- Top Speed: 70 mph (110 km/h)
- Length: 3,188 ft (972 m)
- Inversions: 1 (Immelmann loop)
- Max Drop Angle: 90°
The Ride Experience
Riders board in rows of eight across a wide, open train — after the 2007 conversion, with no floor beneath their feet — and ascend the 200-foot chain lift hill before creeping to the edge of a sheer vertical drop. The train pauses at the precipice for a few agonizing seconds, then plunges straight down at 90 degrees, hitting 70 mph before pulling into an underground tunnel and a roaring splashdown water feature. A sweeping Immelmann loop delivers the ride’s single inversion before a second vertical drop sends the train into another tunnel, rounding out a roughly two-minute-and-twenty-second circuit.
SheiKra pioneered two elements on Dive Coasters that were novel at the time: the splashdown finale and the Immelmann loop. The floorless modification in 2007 amplified the experience further, leaving nothing between riders and the ground hundreds of feet below during the signature drop.
Records and Legacy
At its 2005 debut, SheiKra held the titles of tallest, fastest, and longest Dive Coaster in the world. Those records were later surpassed by Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2007 and by Chimelong Paradise’s Dive Coaster in 2008, but SheiKra’s place in coaster history remains secure as the ride that introduced the Dive Coaster format to North America.
The ride earned a Golden Ticket Award nomination for Best New Ride in 2005 and was ranked among the top steel coasters in the world as high as 13th. It remains one of the most iconic attractions at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and a benchmark for the Dive Coaster category globally.
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SheiKra FAQs
How tall is SheiKra?
SheiKra stands 200 feet (61 m) tall and drops riders at a true 90-degree vertical angle.
When did SheiKra become a floorless coaster?
The ride was converted to a floorless configuration on June 16, 2007, about two years after its original opening in May 2005.
Was SheiKra the first Dive Coaster in North America?
Yes. SheiKra opened on May 21, 2005, and was the first Dive Coaster ever built in North America, as well as the world’s tallest, fastest, and longest Dive Coaster at the time of its debut.
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Photo: supercrewboy / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.