Busch Gardens: The Mighty ShiekRa!

 
Enter a seemingly mundane theme park, complete with the typical scene; long lines of excited adolescents, a festive environment, smiling staff and some of them popular characters. But how would you feel, if you saw this towering collection of twisted metal bars, chains, nuts and bolts? Would you care to inch closer towards the rolling sound of thunder, followed by screams and shrieks of fun and fear mixed all over? Behold the mighty SheiKra!

The SheiKra is one(if not) of the coolest attractions found in Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida.
A floor-less car slowly trudges from the ground up to around 200 feet, allowing premier views of the whole theme park. This, however, allows to build the excitement exponentially as it also gives you a clear idea on how far up are you from the ground. Suddenly, this floor-less contraption halts to a complete stop with enough hang time to hold your breath; you are now literally suspended, facing the ground in a 90-degree fashion.
 It's time to face the music, baby!

Without any idea of when the exact moment to take the plunge, the locks suddenly cuts lose.You rushing face-down with speeds in excess of 70mph(112kph). See it all happening in front of your very eyes, scary fun, yeah! The ride then takes you even below ground level, as the metal railings were curiously embedded further down in preparation for a big loop and then some. Oh no, a second vertical drop! This one's a bit lower though, and it goes straight to an underground tunnel, but it comes with a bit of a twist. The surprise comes for the people below, the observers of the mighty SheiKra; stand on the right spot, and you'll get an instant shower. Don't forget to check your voice on the gate, you may have lost it in the mayhem. This crazy ride is pure fun, and a lot of you coaster fanatics will sure have a great time.

Looking and falling straight-down isn't too bad at all

These folks will forget the words "hot and dry" in another second or so

There's still a lot of them great rides and roller coasters in Busch Gardens, Tampa FL, but the SheiKra is arguably one of the most unique and exciting extreme coaster rides of the whole world. A steady 200-foot climb, two true-90-degree vertical drops, giant loops and a free audience shower in a hot and humid day is a perfect fix for that adrenaline rush and extreme fun you may have been craving for.


*** Credits to Busch Gardens  website for the technical specifications of the SheikRa ride ***