AQUA MARINE
This compact Vekoma roller coaster is astoundingly intense and is one of their best models installed in the US, thanks to its striking setting and some recent remodeling.
(( fans and followers of mine will appreciate the frequent use of puns and double-entendres in my titles/headers, and this review is no exception. 'Aqua Marine' is in fact an elusive **triple** play-on-words; 'aqua' an indicator of the ride's construction over water, 'marine' an allusion to the revamped military theme tie-in, and 'aquamarine' for the overhaul in blue paint the entire ride was given. just go ahead and give me the Pulitzer in Creative Writing now. ))
A top speed of 52mph sends the trains through a quintet of inversions - a highly unique "butterfly" element, sidewinder, and consecutive double corkscrews - across a 2,742ft course. All of this is fairly compressed into a ride time of 1 minute 20 seconds. Lines aren't terribly long, a testament to good station crews and two train operation.
Coaster nerd moment: the "butterfly" element is essentially back-to-back sidewinders taken in series. The only other ride to use this is 'Goudurix' at Parc Astérix in France, so it's pretty special. It's like the "batwing" found on 'Vortex' @ Kings Island, but the train exits the element traveling in the same direction as it began. Tough to describe, and even tougher to visualize, I know. Just do a Google image search.
Existing as 'Ninja' from 1992-2015, this coaster was painted red and was hated by many guests for the unpleasantly rough ride it gave. For the 2016 season, Six Flags Over Georgia made the decision to re-paint it blue, re-track parts of the coaster, replace boxy shoulder restraints with soft vest ones, and re-introduce the ride with a military theme as 'Blue Hawk'.
My only criticisms about this coaster are the CRAZY sluggish chain lift hill (quite possibly the slowest in existence) and the fact that it's still kinda jarring. Although not as rough as it was when operating as 'Ninja', 'Blue Hawk' still delivers a pretty turbulent ride. The new, soft vest-style over the shoulder restraints make a *big* difference in rider comfort.
.......oh, a word of caution.....do NOT attempt to extend your arms or legs outside of the car at any time. They will go bye-bye. The ride's manufacturer built the structure in such a way that beams and track come within MERE INCHES of the oncoming train. I counted at least 5 "headchopper" moments, which is a lot for a single coaster. It's apparent in any row and much like the inverted 'SLC' models built by Vekoma, this ups in the intensity factor considerably.
Normally this ride would garner 4* from me, with 'Blue Hawk' it's all about location, location, location. This custom coaster is built ENTIRELY over water and 90% of the supports rest on concrete footer built atop a small lagoon. That earns it major plus points in my book and makes for some fantastic photo opportunities, the sapphire track reflecting off of the cool cobalt water.
Eric S's Six Flags Over Georgia rating: 4th out of 9.
Final verdict --- between the patriotic re-branding ('Murrica, f*ck yeah!), the fresh new coat of azure paint, and the tightly-packed succession of inversions, I'd have to award 4.5* for this particular roller coaster. I can't do half stars, but since I enjoyed the watery whereabouts of this one so much, I'm going to err on the side of awesomeness and go for the full 5*.
Yes indeed, 'Blue Hawk' is one of the better rides at Atlanta's Six Flags and it makes for some phenomenal picture taking. It's a very Instagram-worthy ride, in my opinion. With very reasonable wait times, I highly recommend you check this out on your day at the park! read more