On July 25th, 2023, I visited Busch Gardens Africa which is in Tampa, Florida. This is my fourth ever visit to this park, and I also visited this park in February of 2012.
Although this park is not located in the tristate area, it is still one of my favorite theme parks I have ever visited, especially because of their animal exhibits and their record breaking hybrid coaster named Iron Gwazi.
Iron Gwazi is actually my #2 favorite roller coaster behind VelociCoaster at Island's of Adventure.
(Iron Gwazi- my favorite coaster at Busch Gardens but not the attraction I was evacuated on.)
My first coaster evacuation occurred on a roller coaster named Cheetah Hunt, a triple launch LSM coaster by the manufacturer Intamin.
I love this coaster, and I think it is a great family thrill attraction that everyone needs to ride at Busch Gardens Africa.
Most news channels love broadcasting roller coaster evacuations because they look scary and unsafe; however, this is far from the truth.
Roller coasters are designed to be extremely safe, and most roller coaster evacuations occur when the ride is at a block section, a part of the coaster in which the train can stop safely. Every block section is also designed with a method to stop the train from entering another block section if the zone ahead is occupied. Most block sections are on chain lifts, mid-course brake runs which are generally placed in the middle of the ride, the final brakes, or sometimes on launch sections like on this coaster.
I managed to sit in the front row of Cheetah Hunt during my evacuation, and I was evacuated in the block section of the second launch. When the ride operator at the station dispatched my train, I went through the first launch normally, but then the second launch didn't allow the train to fully go up the first hill. As a result, the train safely rolled backwards, and the LSMs- the magnets that propel the train forward stopped the train from rolling backwards into the station. Roller coaster enthusiasts call this experience a "rollback," which is an experience that roller coaster enthusiasts dream for.
Although the cause of the breakdown is still unknown, my guess is that there was a sensor problem that caused the ride to safely have an emergency stop.
I sat on the second launch track for about 15 minutes, and then a ride operator came to check on us and ensured that we were safe. He was also very friendly, and he made me laugh from his stories. After 10 more minutes of waiting, the ride operators decided to close the coaster an evacuate the riders. We were then evacuated from the ride one row at a time, and it was neat from a coaster enthusiast's perspective to be able to walk on the catwalks, see the track, and the LSMs up close in person.
All guests who were evacuated from the coaster were also given a bottle of water and a skip the line pass for most of the coasters in the park.
Overall, getting evacuated from Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa was one of my favorite theme park experiences I have ever had, and I took many pictures of the evacuation that you can see below.
*Important notice: Taking out your phone on a roller coaster in motion is extremely dangerous. I only took out my phone for pictures after I had asked for permission from the ride operator, and he said it was okay because we were definitely being evacuated. As a result, there was no risk of my phone falling out of my hand and hitting any riders.
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