Dive Coaster

According to Walter Bolliger, development of the Dive Coaster began between 1994 and 1995.^[1] On 14 March 1998, the world's first Dive Coaster, Oblivion, opened at Alton Towers. Though Oblivion is classified as a Dive Coaster, it does not have a true vertical drop as the drop angle is only 87-degrees.^[2] Two years later, the second Dive Coaster built, Diving Machine G5, opened at Janfusun Fancyworld and also technically does not have a true vertical drop.^[3] In 2005, SheiKra opened at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and was the first Dive Coaster to feature a 90-degree drop and a splashdown element.^[4][5] In 2007, Busch Gardens Williamsburg announced that Griffon would be the first ever Dive Coaster to feature floorless trains^[6] and SheiKra would have its trains replaced with floorless ones.^[7][8] In 2011, the first 'mini' Dive Coaster opened at Heide Park Resort, named Krake. Unlike other Dive Coasters, Krake has smaller trains consisting of three rows of six riders.^[9] In 2019, Yukon Striker at Canada's Wonderland was the first Dive Coaster to feature a vertical loop, allowing it to have the most inversions on a Dive Coaster with four at the time.^[10] On 30 July 2022, Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger opened at Six Flags Fiesta Texas as the first B&M Dive Coaster to feature a beyond vertical 95-degree drop and 7-across seating. On 31 May 2025, Wrath of Rakshasa opened at Six Flags Great America and broke the record for the steepest beyond vertical 96-degree drop and the most inversions on any dive coaster with five in total.

The design of a Dive Coaster can vary slightly from one to another. Depending on the amusement park's request, one row on the train can seat anywhere from 6 to 10 riders. Stadium seating is also used to give every rider a clear view. Next, compared to standard Bolliger & Mabillard 4 abreast cars, because of the extra weight of each train on a Dive Coaster, the size of the track must be larger than other B&M models (such as the Hyper Coaster) to support the weight.^[11] At the top of the primary vertical drop, a braking system holds the train for 3 to 5 seconds, giving riders a view of the drop ahead before being released into the drop.^[12][13]

In the station, Dive Coasters that use non-floorless trains simply use a standard station. With Dive Coasters that use floorless trains, in order to allow riders to load and unload the train, a movable floor is necessary. Because the front row has nothing in front of it to stop riders from walking over the edge of the station, a gate is placed in front of the train to prevent this from happening. Once all the over-the-shoulder restraints are locked, the gate opens and the floor separates into several pieces and moves underneath the station.^[12] When the next train enters the station, the gate is closed and the floors are brought back up where the next riders board.^[12]

Bolliger & Mabillard has built eighteen Dive Coasters as of 2025.

More information Name, Park ...

Name	Park	Country	Train Width	Train Type	Model	Opened	Status
Oblivion	Alton Towers	United Kingdom	8 seats	Standard	Wide	14 March 1998	Operating	[2]
Diving Machine G5	Janfusun Fancyworld	Taiwan	8 seats	Standard	Wide	29 March 2000	Operating	[3]
SheiKra	Busch Gardens Tampa Bay	United States	8 seats	Floorless (Originally Standard)	Wide	21 May 2005	Operating	[4]
Griffon	Busch Gardens Williamsburg	United States	10 seats	Floorless	Wide	18 May 2007	Operating	[14]
Dive Coaster	Chimelong Paradise	China	10 seats	Floorless	Wide	21 January 2008	Operating	[15]
Diving Coaster	Happy Valley Shanghai	China	10 seats	Floorless	Wide	16 August 2009	Operating	[16]
Krake	Heide Park	Germany	6 seats	Floorless	Narrow	16 April 2011	Operating	[9]
Oblivion: The Black Hole	Gardaland	Italy	6 seats	Floorless	Narrow	28 March 2015	Operating	[17]
Baron 1898	Efteling	Netherlands	6 seats	Floorless	Narrow	30 June 2015	Operating	[18]
Valravn	Cedar Point	United States	8 seats	Floorless	Wide	7 May 2016	Operating	[19]
Flying Apsaras in Western Region	Happy Valley Chengdu	China	6 seats	Floorless	Narrow	10 February 2018	Operating	[20]
Draken	Gyeongju World	South Korea	8 seats	Floorless	Wide	1 May 2018	Operating	[21]
Valkyria	Liseberg	Sweden	6 seats	Floorless	Narrow	10 August 2018	Operating	[22]
Yukon Striker	Canada's Wonderland	Canada	8 seats	Floorless	Wide	3 May 2019	Operating	[23]
Emperor	SeaWorld San Diego	United States	6 seats	Floorless	Narrow	12 March 2022	Operating	[24]
Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger	Six Flags Fiesta Texas	United States	7 seats	Floorless	Narrow	30 July 2022	Operating	[25]
Iron Menace	Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom	United States	7 seats	Floorless	Narrow	10 May 2024	Operating	[26]
Wrath of Rakshasa	Six Flags Great America	United States	7 seats	Floorless	Narrow	31 May 2025	Operating	[27]
Tormenta Rampaging Run	Six Flags Over Texas	United States	8 seats	Floorless	Wide	2026	Under construction	[28]

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In 2018, Golden Horse, a Chinese amusement ride manufacturer infamous for creating knock-off coasters and rides, installed a Dive Coaster at Great Xingdong Tourist World. The trains contain four cars, each seating 6 riders per row, compared to B&M dive coasters, which have two or three cars per train.^[29]

On 18 May 2018, HangTime, a Gerstlauer roller coaster, opened at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, marketing as "the first dive coaster on the West Coast".^[30]

• Floorless Coaster, a type of roller coaster also designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, that features floorless trains.