When Alton Towers unveiled Oblivion in 1998, the world’s first vertical-drop “dive machine” was a sensation. Just two years later, the second one ever built rose on a Taiwanese hillside: Diving Machine G5 at Janfusun Fancyworld in Yunlin County. Built by Swiss masters Bolliger & Mabillard and named for the five g’s riders endure at the base of its near-vertical plunge, G5 remains one of Asia’s most distinctive coasters.
Best Seat on Diving Machine G5: Front Row or Back Row?
Diving Machine G5 runs two rows of eight across per car, and unlike newer B&M Dive Coasters such as Griffon or SheiKra, it predates the floorless-train upgrade B&M introduced in 2007 — so riders sit over a floor rather than dangling their feet in open air. The whole train stops together at the top of the drop, holds for three seconds, and releases as one unit — but where you sit still changes what that hold feels like.
Front row is the stronger pick for most first-timers. With nothing but open air and the drop ahead, you see the “Black Hole Tunnel” mouth open directly beneath you during the hold, and B&M’s over-the-shoulder restraints keep the view unobstructed. G5 is a mirror image of Oblivion at Alton Towers, and this front-row view — straight down into the drop with no train ahead to block it — is the seat’s signature feature on both rides.
Back row trades that straight-down view for a different kind of anticipation: you can’t see the drop opening until the rows ahead of you are already falling into it, so the reveal comes a beat later even though the whole train releases from the hold together. It’s a subtler experience than the front row’s view, and better suited to riders who’d rather feel the drop sneak up on them than watch it coming.
Our verdict: ride front row first. The straight-down view into the drop is what makes G5’s mirror-image link to Oblivion worth chasing, and it’s the seat most likely to justify a stop at Janfusun Fancyworld if you’re after the g-force bragging rights the ride delivers. Save a back-row lap for your second ride if the queue allows it — the delayed reveal is worth comparing once you’ve seen the drop coming.
- Ride G5 first — it’s the closest coaster to the park entrance, in the Sky Plaza section, so you can beat the queue before it builds.
- Pick front row if you only get one ride; the drop’s opening view is the payoff you can’t get from a back-row seat or a photo.
- Expect a floor under your feet, not a floorless dangle — G5 opened in 2000, before B&M’s floorless dive-coaster trains existed.
- The three-second hold at the top is built to draw out the suspense before release — the drop and tunnel pass in seconds once it lets go.
- With zero inversions and one big drop, G5 rewards nerve more than tolerance for twists and turns.
Key Stats
| Type | Bolliger & Mabillard Dive Coaster (steel) |
| Opened | March 29, 2000 |
| Height | 55 m (179 ft) |
| Drop | 55 m (180 ft) |
| Drop angle | 87.5 degrees |
| Top speed | 110 km/h (68 mph) |
| Track length | 381 m (1,250 ft) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Max g-force | 5 g |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
The World’s Second Dive Coaster
Diving Machine G5 (飛天潛艇G5) is a near mirror image of Oblivion — same B&M Dive Coaster DNA, same held-drop theatrics — with one clever twist. Where Alton Towers dug an expensive underground tunnel to swallow Oblivion’s drop, Janfusun Fancyworld simply built G5 down the side of a steep hill, achieving the same stomach-dropping depth while saving the cost of excavation. The drop bottoms out in the ride’s “Black Hole Tunnel” before sweeping back into daylight.
Ride Experience
Trains turn right out of the station and climb a 45-degree chain lift to 179 feet. Another right turn lines them up with the moment the ride is famous for: the hold. Dangling at the edge of an 87.5-degree drop — steep enough that it would have made waves on our steepest coaster drops list in its day — the train hangs for three full seconds before release. It then dives 55 meters under a bridge and into the tunnel, where riders soak up the full 5 g that give the coaster its name, before an overbanked right turn bleeds speed into the brake run.
G5 at Janfusun Today
G5 is one of three roller coasters at Janfusun Fancyworld alongside the Ku Ku Coaster and the intense Togo looper Insane Speed, and it is the first coaster guests meet inside the entrance, in the park’s Sky Plaza section. Its 5 g peak keeps it in the conversation with the highest g-force coasters in the world — remarkable for a ride with zero inversions and barely a quarter-mile of track.
FAQ
Why is it called Diving Machine G5?
“Diving Machine” was B&M’s early name for the Dive Coaster model, and “G5” refers to the five g’s of force riders experience pulling out of the drop into the tunnel.
How steep is the drop on Diving Machine G5?
The 55-meter (180-foot) drop is angled at 87.5 degrees — a hair off vertical — and the train is held at the brink for three seconds before it dives.
Is G5 a copy of Oblivion?
Nearly — it’s a close mirror image of the Alton Towers original and the second dive coaster ever built. The key difference: G5’s drop plunges down a hillside into a surface tunnel instead of into an underground pit.
Photo: Roller Coaster Philosophy / Jeremy Thompson via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
What’s the best seat on Diving Machine G5, front row or back row?
Front row, for most riders — you get a straight-down, unobstructed view into the drop and tunnel during the three-second hold, since nothing ahead of you blocks the sightline. Back row swaps that view for a delayed reveal, since you can’t see the drop until the rows ahead of you are already falling.
Is the hold on Diving Machine G5 as scary as it looks?
The three-second pause at the top of the 87.5-degree drop is designed to build suspense right before the release, and it’s over the moment the train lets go. The drop and tunnel that follow pass quickly too, with no inversions to add to it.
Does Diving Machine G5 have a floor, or are your feet hanging free?
G5 keeps a floor under riders’ feet. It opened in 2000, several years before B&M introduced floorless trains on newer Dive Coasters like Griffon and SheiKra in 2007.
Is Diving Machine G5 worth riding at Janfusun Fancyworld?
Yes, especially for coaster enthusiasts — it’s a mirror image of Oblivion at Alton Towers, one of B&M’s earliest Dive Coasters, and it’s the closest ride to the park entrance, making it an easy first stop before lines build.