Concept art of the Emperor coaster that was set to open in 2020 at SeaWorld San Diego, but has been pushed back to 2022 due to COVID-19 related delays.
SeaWorld San Diego will soon be home to the new Emperor floorless dive roller coaster. It's being called the tallest, fastest, and longest ride of its kind in California by SeaWorld officials.
According to the Orange County Register, the roller coaster was initially planned for a 2020 debut but was delayed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was pushed back again to 2022, with the park acknowledging it would be "disappointing" to fans awaiting the new ride.
The new ride is scheduled to debut in March 2022.
“Our fans are eager to ride Emperor and we’re grateful for their enthusiasm and excitement to jump on this adrenaline-pumping dive coaster,” said SeaWorld San Diego President John Dunlap in a statement. “Due to the unprecedented challenges of the last two years, the opening was delayed, we know this has been disappointing and we’d like to thank our guests for their patience for this long-awaited ride to open.”
The 153-foot tall coaster was built by Switzerland-based Bolliger & Mabillard. The roller coaster will have a 143-foot tall vertical first drop with a top speed of 60 mph and nearly 2,500 feet of track.
Four nearly finished rides were set to debut in summer 2020 at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens in San Diego, Florida, and Virginia but were all delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.