Sea World's Sea Viper closes after 32 years

The oldest roller coaster on the Gold Coast has today had its closure officially announced after an ongoing period of maintenance and inactivity. Opening in 1982 as Corkscrew, the coaster was one of a small handful of similar rides remaining in operation from steel roller coaster pioneer Arrow Dynamics.

Image: Parkz.

Corkscrew was introduced at the start of the Gold Coast 'theme park wars' as Sea World faced off with new competition. Dreamworld had opened in 1981 but its flagship roller coaster Thunderbolt was delayed until April 1982. Sea World countered the double-looping coaster with their own triple looping coaster. Corkscrew opened September 17, 1982. Smaller and without the iconic highway frontage, but an overall smoother and more interesting and enjoyable attraction.

Thunderbolt closed in 2003 but Corkscrew continued going strong until 2009 when the ride was given a bold new look and name. When Sea Viper launched the aesthetically simple white track was repainted bright orange. The original red Arrow train was replaced with a constrictive new beast from KumbacK Coasters that looked more like a torture device or its namesake sea viper fish.

The past few years have been plagued with inconsistency; frequent planned and unplanned periods of maintenance were commonplace. Even when the coaster was running it was anything but the swift, smooth coaster it was with its original Arrow train. In recent times work has focused on keeping the steel structure free from rust and cracks – a mammoth task with a roller coaster exposed to ocean breezes for three decades.

In 2008 Jet Rescue was opened adjacent to the ride. In 2013 Storm Coaster opened giving the park three major roller coasters for a short period. Sea Viper has been inoperational since Februray.

Today Sea World made the following statement:

Sea Viper is being retired after bringing thrills to Sea World’s guests for 32 years. Sea Viper has been a wonderful attraction but there comes a time when all rides need to retire.

Sea World is constantly looking at new attractions like the $21M Storm Coaster which opened in December and there are several new and exciting options in the pipeline.

Our theme parks are ever changing to ensure we continue to bring you, our guests, the best possible theme park experience possible.

With the recent opening of Storm – the most expensive Australian attraction in recent history – it's unlikely that there are any immediate plans for a replacement for Sea Viper. With Wild up in the air, Sea World now have an almost unprecedented expansive area available for future development.

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