The lift hill crests at 223 feet, the train rolls to the brink, and then — nothing happens. For roughly four seconds you’re face-down above Lake Erie, dangling over the midway, watching the ground below do absolutely nothing to reassure you. That pause is the whole point of Valravn: Cedar Point‘s flagship dive coaster doesn’t just drop you, it makes you dread it first.
Built by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard and opened on May 7, 2016, Valravn was the 100th roller coaster B&M ever constructed, and it set six world records in the dive coaster category at debut. A decade on, newer coasters — including a 2026 giga dive coaster in Texas — have chipped away at some of those marks, but Valravn remains one of the most complete three-inversion dive coaster experiences anywhere and still one of the most intense rides on the Cedar Point midway.
Quick Answer
Valravn is a Bolliger & Mabillard dive coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio: 223 feet tall, a 214-foot first drop at 90 degrees, a top speed of 75 mph, three inversions, and 3,415 feet of track. It opened May 7, 2016, requires a minimum height of 52 inches, and set six dive coaster world records at launch — several of which have since been surpassed by newer coasters.
What Makes Valravn a Dive Coaster
Dive coasters are built around one dramatic concept: a near-vertical drop you see coming the whole way. Unlike a traditional coaster where the crest leads straight into freefall, a dive coaster rolls the train to the lip of the lift hill and stops — holding riders face-down over empty air before releasing. Valravn runs that format at maximum scale, with trains eight riders across, among the widest coaster cars at any major park. Three trains, each with three cars and 24 riders, give it a capacity of roughly 1,200 riders per hour.
Valravn was the first dive coaster to use B&M’s vest-style over-the-shoulder restraints, a design borrowed from wing coasters like Cedar Point’s own GateKeeper. The vest wraps across the chest rather than clamping from above, leaving the ride feel unusually open. The name comes from Danish folklore: a valravn is a raven that feeds on the slain and gains supernatural powers — a fitting identity for a coaster designed to unsettle you before it even moves. Cedar Point introduced it as B&M’s centennial installation, the manufacturer’s 100th coaster worldwide, and the fourth B&M built at the park after Raptor, GateKeeper, and Rougarou.
Six World Records at Opening — And Where They Stand Now
When Valravn debuted in May 2016, it set six world records in the dive coaster category: tallest at 223 feet, fastest at 75 mph, longest at 3,415 feet of track, longest drop at 214 feet, most inversions at three, and highest inversion with a 165-foot Immelmann loop.
Those benchmarks didn’t stay unmatched forever. Yukon Striker, which opened at Canada’s Wonderland in 2019, tied the 223-foot height mark and pushed past Valravn on drop distance and inversion count. Then in July 2026, Six Flags Over Texas opened Tormenta Rampaging Run, a 309-foot giga dive coaster that now claims the tallest, fastest, and longest titles in the category outright, hitting 87 mph across 4,199 feet of track. Even with the records reshuffled, Valravn’s original six-record haul reflects how thoroughly it was designed to redefine the format at launch, not just edge past one benchmark.
The Full Ride Layout
The chain lift takes long enough to open up views across Sandusky Bay and the Cedar Point peninsula. Valravn sits near the front of the park, which puts the Lake Erie shoreline directly in sightline from the summit — a detail that makes the hold feel even more exposed, since there’s genuinely nothing between you and the horizon.
At the top, the train rolls to the lip and pauses for approximately four seconds with no countdown. You’re tilted forward at 90 degrees, held by a vest restraint, with 214 feet of air beneath you, and then the brakes release. The first drop accelerates riders to 75 mph and feeds immediately into the Immelmann loop, a 165-foot inversion where the train arcs up and over before reversing direction — one of the tallest inversions at Cedar Point. After the Immelmann, the track delivers a second drop from 131 feet, a dive loop, and closes with a 270-degree zero-g roll that sends riders through more than three-quarters of a full rotation before the brake run. Total track: 3,415 feet. Total run time: 2 minutes and 23 seconds — a three-inversion sequence that separates Valravn from most dive coasters, which stop at one or two inversions and end shortly after the initial plunge.
Restraints, Height Requirement, and Who Shouldn’t Ride
Valravn uses B&M’s flexible vest-style over-the-shoulder restraints paired with an interlocking seat belt, rather than the rigid over-the-shoulder bars found on older coasters. The vest locks across the chest and hips, and ride operators check each one before the train departs the station. Minimum height to ride is 52 inches (4 feet 4 inches).
As with most extreme B&M coasters, Cedar Point advises against riding for guests who are pregnant or have heart, back, neck, or other health conditions that could be aggravated by sudden drops, inversions, and g-forces. Because policies and the full restriction list can change, check the official ride page for Valravn on Cedar Point’s site before you visit if you have any health concerns.
How Intense Is Valravn, Really?
Valravn earns its reputation less from raw speed than from anticipation. The four-second hold at the top is longer than it sounds when you’re the one hanging there, and it’s the signature sensation that separates dive coasters from drop towers or standard first-drop coasters. Once it releases, the ride stays aggressive through all three inversions rather than trailing off after the first drop, which is part of why fans rank it alongside Millennium Force and Steel Vengeance as one of Cedar Point’s must-ride thrill coasters, even though it’s a very different kind of intense — sustained and inversion-heavy rather than purely fast.
Planning Your Visit
Valravn sits near Cedar Point’s main entrance, directly adjacent to Raptor. That front-gate placement means it draws early crowds — guests walking in often see it first and queue immediately — and it tends to empty out later as visitors push deeper into the park. Wait-time tracking sites have logged average waits in the roughly 30-to-45-minute range across the season, with the shortest lines in the first couple of hours after opening and near mid-afternoon lulls, and the longest waits building through late afternoon on peak summer days.
Cedar Point’s Fast Lane skip-the-line program covers Valravn and is worth considering on high-attendance days. For seating, outside seats — positions 1 and 8 in each eight-across row — give the most open exposure during the hold and inversions, with no adjacent rider blocking the view; front row offers the clearest sightline over the first drop. Both options can mean a short additional wait within the station. Small cubbies at the station hold phones, sunglasses, and keys; bags and larger loose articles must go into park lockers before entering the queue, and Cedar Point enforces this strictly on Valravn.
Since Cedar Point’s 2024 merger into Six Flags Entertainment, ticket tiers, season pass perks, and operating hours are managed through the combined Six Flags system, so pricing and calendar details shift year to year. For current hours, ticket prices, and any Fast Lane pricing, check the official Cedar Point site directly before your visit.
Valravn dive coaster FAQs
How tall is Valravn and how far does it drop?
Valravn stands 223 feet tall. Its first drop is 214 feet at a 90-degree angle, accelerating riders to a top speed of 75 mph.
Does Valravn still hold any world records?
Not the outright ones. Valravn set six dive coaster world records when it opened in 2016, but Yukon Striker matched its height in 2019, and Six Flags Over Texas’s Tormenta Rampaging Run, which opened in July 2026, now holds the tallest, fastest, and longest dive coaster titles at 309 feet, 87 mph, and 4,199 feet of track.
What is the height requirement to ride Valravn?
Riders must be at least 52 inches (4 feet 4 inches) tall.
How many inversions does Valravn have?
Three: a 165-foot Immelmann loop right after the first drop, a dive loop, and a 270-degree zero-g roll near the end of the ride.
What kind of restraints does Valravn use?
A flexible B&M vest-style over-the-shoulder restraint combined with an interlocking seat belt — the same style later used on Cedar Point’s wing and dive coasters, chosen for a more open ride feel than rigid shoulder bars.
How long is the wait for Valravn?
It varies widely by time of day. Tracking sites show average waits in roughly the 30-to-45-minute range, shortest right at opening and in the mid-afternoon, and longest in the late afternoon on peak summer days. Cedar Point’s Fast Lane program can shorten the wait on busy days.
How long does the Valravn ride last?
The full ride, from leaving the station to returning to the brake run, runs about 2 minutes and 23 seconds across 3,415 feet of track.
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