Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk August 2014 Photo Trip Report with Undertow Ride Review

TPO hits the beach today as we check out the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk! We take a spin on the new Undertow spinning roller coaster, and check out other happenings from the boardwalk. 


No other amusement park (arguably) has a better view than this!




The park was decently packed for a Sunday afternoon.


Now fore some new hotness, Undertow! Northern California's only spinning coaster (Sorry Pandemonium).


There's a nice tester seat at the entrance too.


Yes, that 90 degree banked U is just as crazy as it looks!


The coaster is butter smooth, and the vibrant yellow and blue paint job go perfectly with the park!


The trains pick up a good amount of speed for a compact coaster like this.


The crew was doing a fantastic job with operations, and were sending off a train about every 30 seconds.


While not some mega thrill monster, Undertow is a pretty well rounded coaster. The ride is moderately thrilling, and the unique outward facing seats feature some fantastic views of the neighboring ocean. The coaster has a good ride time, as it doesn't seem too short nor long. Their are plenty of twists and tight turns, with a headchopper effect or two thrown in for good measure! 

I know some park guests were hoping for more of a thrilling ride, but SCBB is a special type of park. The management doesn't want to ever add a ride that beats their main attraction, the Giant Dipper, in popularity or thrill. For goodness sakes, that coaster is literally the anchor of the park! Undertow is comparable to the coaster it preceded (Hurricane) as it understandably doesn't top the Giant Dipper, yet still makes for a different and thrilling experience. I think it was a good addition for this park.


Moving on, unfortunately the new model of the Crazy Surf ride from manufacturer KMG that opened last year was closed. Next time!


Because you can't have any SCBB article WITHOUT the Giant Dipper!


Some *interesting* new displays line the Giant Dipper queue, and pose some serious questions!


Are all these rhetorical questions giving you anxiety too?!


And a final stop to one of my most favorite flat rides out there, Wipeout, sums up our day.



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