Busch Gardens Tampa Sheikra

Tampa Fun for Coaster Enthusiasts!

Busch Gardens Tampa Sheikra Dive Coaster

Busch Gardens Tampa, Tampa Bay's renowned safari theme park, is the place to be this summer for coaster enthusiasts. Busch Gardens Tampa offers you a new "floorless" way to get out and enjoy a fun filled day in the Tampa area. When your seeking adventure and fun, get on your sneakers and grab your camera, it's time for Busch Gardens Tampa Sheikra. The Sheikra's name goes along with the parks African theme; Sheikra is derived from a shikra, an Asian - African hawk that is known to dive straight down for its prey and diving straight down is what this rides does!

1st Dive Coaster in North America - Busch Gardens Tampa Sheikra

Busch Gardens Tampa SheiKra Dive Coaster is the first vertical-drop (dive machine) roller coaster in the United States and the first roller coaster of its kind to include an inversion (in this case, an Immelman Loop) and a true 90-degree vertical drop.

SheiKra is a fierce, floorless, fast thriller located in the Stanleyville area of Busch Gardens. The ride offers a 200 foot climb taking you just over the edge of a true 90-degree drop, pausing for 4 seconds, you find yourself looking straight down at the ground below as you're held suspended above it. Then, before you know it you are plunging straight toward the ground, racing at speeds of more than 70 miles per hour. The Busch Gardens Tampa Sheikra Dive Coaster then thrills riders with an Immelmann loop and a second vertical dive into an underground tunnel ending with a surprise twist for those who look on.

Busch Gardens Tampa Sheikra - From Floor to Floorless

Busch Gardens Tampa Sheikra Dive Coaster opened in May 2005. In May 2007, the ride closed for remodeling, opening again in June 2007 as a new floorless version. Some say that the change was sparked by August Busch III explaining to coaster enthusiasts about "looking at engineering taking that floor out" of SheiKra and asking if it would make the ride better, worse, or the same. Everyone who was asked replied saying it would make the ride better thus the floorless Busch Gardens Tampa Sheikra Dive Coaster was born.

The Griffon - Sister Coaster to Busch Gardens Tampa Sheikra

You would think that the thrilling Busch Gardens Tampa Sheikra Dive Coaster ride would be hard to beat, but the folks at Busch Gardens Williamsburg topped the Sheikra with their version of the ride called the Griffon. The ride features a 205-foot vertical drop (200 for Sheikra) and two separate Immelmann inversions (1 for Sheikra), a second 87-degree 130-ft drop, and a splashdown. It is the first diving machine that utilizes a floorless train with three rows of 10 seats each (8 each for Sheikra). It is hard to imagine that the Busch Gardens Tampa sheikra ride could be topped but the Griffon does surpasses the features of its sister coaster.

Top Hotels near Busch Gardens Tampa Sheikra

When searching for a hotel near the thrill of the Busch Gardens Tampa Sheikra Dive Coaster Ride, there are many hotels to choose from that are convenient to the Busch Gardens Park. Make sure that the place you stay adds to the fun you'll have at Adventure Island and Busch Gardens. Don't have a great day at Busch Gardens Tampa, only to cringe at the idea of where you'll be spending the night! Consider two of Tampa's top hotels, as reviewed by Holiday Inn and Wingate By Wyndham reports, as well as the biggest and most popular online hotel review site, Trip Advisor.

The Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites and The Wingate Inn Tampa North are both about six miles north of the Busch Gardens Tampa Sheikra ride and Adventure Island in the beautiful, newly developed area of "New Tampa". Both hotels have their own extensive websites that include Tampa area guides to help you plan your stay in the area. Both of these Tampa hotels are consistently at the top of TripAdvisor reviews of ALL hotels in Tampa - you'll even see reviews that refer to how accurate the great reviews are!

Besides being hotels near the Busch Gardens Tampa Sheikra Dive Coaster and Adventure Island, they also offer the convenience and value of discount tickets for either Busch Gardens or Adventure Island Tampa, or "combo tickets" (best value) for both.