SeaWorld employees take plunge on Infinity Falls

We are inching ever closer to the debut of Infinity Falls, the raft ride that’s been under construction at SeaWorld Orlando. The park announced Friday that the official opening date for the attraction will be Oct. 4.

Visitors may be able to experience the Falls between now and then during a soft-opening phase, SeaWorld officials said.

The attraction originally was scheduled to be introduced sometime this summer. The theme park’s employees were invited aboard to put the attraction through its paces Thursday.

From dry ground on Thursday, SeaWorld visitors could see most of the water ride’s features. Riders travel through a misty arch, followed by a stretch of choppy slalom-like whitewater, going beneath a bridge that doubles as the entrance and exit of Infinity Falls. After a winding stretch, a conveyor belt carries the eight-passenger rafts upward toward the spiky centerpiece structure of the ride, a point 30 feet high.

After a slightly bumpy hesitation atop the hill, the rafts come forward and downward, ending in a skidding splash, 40 feet below the peak of the hill. The spray can splash observers standing on the bridge that riders once again go beneath before gliding back into the loading station.

“From the excitement of the thrilling rapids, to the unique vertical lift element, Infinity Falls is an adventure that appeals to the entire family.” Mark Pauls, president of SeaWorld Orlando Parks, said in a news release Friday.

There was little in the way of shrieking from the rafts Thursday. Many of the riders exiting the ride were noticeably wet, particularly their legs. A few months ago, SeaWorld officials estimated the wetness factor as a 6 or 7 on scale of 10, if you consider 10 to be “entirely drenched.”

A merchandise shop has been open for some time, and there are educational kiosks (and lockers) waiting to go into operation.

Infinity Falls has been built near the park’s Nautilus Theater and the animal ambassadors’ home – a.k.a. the former home of the Clydesdales horses. The adjacent Terrace Restaurant was rethemed into the Waterway Grill, which represents a commissary for folks on the Infinity Falls expedition.