In 2023, San Antonio's already award-winning water park scene will break a few new records.

SeaWorld San Antonio's Catapult Falls — the world's first launched flume coaster, and the first flume coaster with a vertical lift in North America — is beginning construction for the 2023 season.

In case you don't have your PhD in amusement parks and "launched vertical lift water flume roller coaster" means nothing to you, we'll break it down word by word. Or just read on to drop in.

Launched coaster: Instead of relying on gravity to accelerate the car (or boat, in this case), launched roller coasters take you from idle to top speed in no time flat. Scared of the anticipation from inching up the hill? Launches speed you into the action before you have time to worry. Catapult Falls' launch will send you on your way at 30 ft per second.

Vertical lift: A state-of-the-art elevator will take you up 55 feet straight up — about the height of a six-story building — before dropping you into the flume.

Water flume coaster: A flume ride drops you through a chute into a watery splashdown. The faster the ride + steeper the drop, the bigger the splash. Catapult Falls will drop you a world-record 53 degrees at 37 miles per hour. The resulting cascade of water will help cool you off on those hot Texas theme park days.

A "splashzone" by the launch will cool you off even if you're not onboard. | Rendering via SeaWorld San Antonio

Put it all together

Catapult Falls will launch you along the track at 30 feet per secondI feel like you have this right, but it's a bit strange that we have "feet" and "ft" in the convo to a vertical lift elevator, which takes you up to the world's steepest drop on a flume ride + ends in the ultimate splashdown. Now don't you sound smart.

Be the first in the chute

2023 Season + Annual Passes are on sale. Grab yours starting at $275 and get unlimited admission to SeaWorld and Aquatica — starting now for the rest of 2022.