SEAQuest at SeaWorld Orlando is the park’s next new ride in its lineup, taking guests beneath the surface on an immersive suspended dark ride.
Announced in September 2025, SEAQuest at SeaWorld Orlando is being billed as the world’s first-of-its-kind suspended dark ride, combining a unique ride system with immersive environments and an ocean-focused storyline. Unlike SeaWorld Orlando’s recent lineup of roller coasters, SEAQuest is designed as an indoor, family-oriented dark ride. Guests will board submersible-inspired ride vehicles and travel through a series of underwater environments featuring extraordinary sea life, mysterious ecosystems, and ocean-inspired stories. The suspended ride system, supplied by Vekoma, allows the vehicles to rotate 360 degrees and swing as they travel above the scenes below. The vehicles also feature integrated onboard audio, giving designers another tool for immersing riders in the experience. The attraction is expected to feature glowing underwater environments, shipwrecks, and encounters with both real-world-inspired and legendary creatures of the deep.
That freedom of movement allows the ride system to physically aim passengers toward whatever SeaWorld wants them to see. Vekoma describes the motion as smooth and gliding, with the suspended vehicle producing a sensation closer to floating through the environment. The manufacturer has also hinted this platform could possibly support custom theming, as well as onboard audio, lighting, and interactive systems. With these mechanisms, we should have no problems letting our minds believe we are alone in the deep…well…maybe not so alone.
So, who is behind this brand new immersive ride?
SEAQuest is coming from a company called Vekoma, founded in the Netherlands in the 1920s. The company originally manufactured agricultural machinery before moving into steel fabrication, and by the 1970s was producing its own coaster structures. If this name isn’t immediately recognizable, some of the rides they manufactured may be. Dollywood’s Big Bear Mountain, Disney’s TRON, Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster, Expedition Everest, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – and, interestingly enough, the new track installed as part of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s refurbishment at Walt Disney World, are all Vekoma builds. If there was any doubt about this company’s ability to deliver high-tech thrills and immersive theming, their resume might put you at ease.
While SeaWorld has not announced an official opening date for SEAQuest, construction continues at the park and we’ll be watching closely for the next pieces of the attraction to surface.
