SANTA MONICA, Calif. — What’s old is new again, as Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier officially opens the all-new Sea Dragon to the public on Friday, April 7, 2023, when the amusement park opens at 11 a.m. Guests will have a chance to receive a free commemorative T-shirt, Sea Dragon themed cotton candy, and stickers to celebrate the new ride’s opening while supplies last; follow @pacpark for more information on how to receive the free items Friday morning.

The all-new Sea Dragon is a classic amusement park attraction that has been a beloved part of the Santa Monica Pier experience for over 26 years and replaces the original version of the same ride that also sports the familiar bright green, scaly exterior. 

The new $1.5 million Sea Dragon has been installed in the identical space and delivers the same high-swinging ride experience, but features a variety of new ride enhancements including custom music and sound to amplify the experience, wind generators and a misting system to make riders feel as if they are riding the dragon out over the open ocean, and shaking seats to replicate the stormy seas. The new Sea Dragon lights up the evenings with LED energy-efficient lights lining the ride car and 40-feet tall ride supports.

 “We are delighted to open the all-new Sea Dragon to the public and expect guests to love it even more than its predecessor that recently retired after 26 years of service,” said Nathan Smithson, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier. “We know our guests had an unbridled enthusiasm for the original Sea Dragon and its incredible popularity prompted us to introduce the all-new Sea Dragon. We reimagined the ride experience while providing the same classic swing ride that guests know and love so well. We look forward to another three decades of fun memories with family and friends riding the all-new Sea Dragon.”

The ever popular, classic Sea Dragon is a swinging ship ride with two lifelike dragonheads making passengers feel as if they’re caught in the turbulent waters. The ship moves back and forth in a 180-degree arc, giving riders a series of 40 feet drops and thrilling launches. The all-new Sea Dragon ride car weighs more than 6,000 pounds, is 26 feet in length, is 3 feet in width, and is accentuated with 12 feet tall Sea Dragons heads on each end.  

After delighting guests with more than 12 million rides since 1996, the original Sea Dragon took its last ride 250 feet over the Pacific Ocean on March 9, 2023, via heavy-duty helicopter by HP Helicopters from Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier, landed at the Port of Hueneme in Ventura County, and transported by Freight Sharks Trucking to its retirement destination at City Museum in St. Louis, Mo., where it will continue to fly high on top of the museum’s roof and sit next to a Big Eli Ferris wheel, slides, and other eclectic attractions. 

Pacific Park celebrated the original Sea Dragon’s 26-years of service at the two-acre amusement park by displaying the original two-headed dragon outside the amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier deck so guests would have an opportunity to say goodbye, take a photo, and even contribute to its legacy by sharing videos, photos and memories of their experience at https://pacpark.com/seadragonmemories. 

Pacific Park’s custom, all-new Sea Dragon ride is designed and built by Chance Rides Manufacturing, Inc. in Wichita, Kan. Chance Rides is a family-owned business making amusement rides, coasters and people movers in a 40-acre facility. 

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