If you find yourself in San Diego chances are you'll visit Mission Beach, so Don't Miss this coaster! It's nothing mind blowing to ride, but it's such a beautiful ride and runs very smoothly on both ends of the train. The station is well maintained as well, the tunnel is fun. The view from the top of the ride is absolutely amazing at sunset. The last turn onto the breaks is very forceful too. There's almost no air time to speak of, which I think is its only set back. Definitely one of my favorite coasters though.

This is a classic old rollercoaster and I give it thumbs up for that. I have ridden it quite a few times given that I am a San Deigan. This coaster was closed for a long time years and years ago and luckily they came along and saved it.

I didn&#39.t even know this coaster was at Mission Beach until our tour bus passed it as we pulled into the lot. Before hitting the beach, my sister and I decided to hop aboard the Giant Dipper for a spin. It&#39.s not a bad wooden coaster at all for its age. This particular coaster features a tunnel right after the station that goes around a couple of corners. It was pitch black inside the tunnel until the train entered the lift. The first drop was a nice sweeping turn the right and after that were lots of bunny hops and banked turns. It was a little rough but that&#39.s to be expected. Of course the setting for this ride was wonderful, right along the beach.

Date Ridden: Summer of 2007 and Spring of 2008. Times Ridden: 1 in 2007 and 12 in 2008 for a total of 13. Once again I find myself reviewing a quaint old woodie that is in dire need of a review on this site. First of all, the Dipper is good. During our visit to sunny San Diego last year, our time was limited and I was only able to get 1 back seat ride. I was impressed but I knew that we would be back this spring so I held off my review until now. After 12 laps, I can say that this coaster definitely deserved the reprieve it received. There is absolutely no way this thing should have been demolished or, even worse, left to rot. Is their tons of air time? No. Is there a 150 foot first drop? Uh...no again. Are there lots of fun laterals, a wonderful opening tunnel, small pops of air throughout the ride, and short lines? Yes to all of the above. Despite not being tall, the first twisting drop gives a great hanging experience from the front and some floater air in the back. The ride has absolutely no rough spots to mention and is pleasant from beginning to end. And the location.........You guys who read my reviews understand how important the surroundings are to my ride reviews. The Dipper gets props here for its gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean mere yards from the park. The scenery is a definite plus. OK how good is the ride? I personally think its a notch below the Santa Cruz Giant Dipper. I could see myself going with a 9 here but decided on the 8 since I think it is on a peg below its northern counterpart. If you visit Belmont Park, go ahead and buy the unlimited rides wristband. It is around 30 bucks and you can get numerous rides on the Dipper with the ops not even making you get off if no one is waiting on your seat. The park also has some small bumper cars and a few flats. There are enough things to do to spend a few hours there. I personally rode everything I wanted and got my dozen rides in around 2 hours. We overall had a great time riding this piece of coaster history. And dont forget to check out the original car located in the gift shop. Now that would have been fun to ride in!!

Beautiful coaster and very nogalstic. The tunnel at the beginning of the ride was pretty cool. The layout looks great with the twisted mess and the first drop is pretty good. I loved the headchoppers throughout the ride, but there was no air-time whatsoever. The ride was smooth though.

This ride wasnt as rough as ghostrider, and its hecka old. I gave it an eight because of the mexicans fake screaming behind me.

Well, Its a beautiful coaster to look at. Its built right near the beach, providing fantastic views. This ride was plain fun. It was very smooth considering its age. The tunnel at the begining was fun and so were the head choppers. There was no real airtime or any drops that would blow you away, yet something about it made me want to ride it over and over again. Maybe it was the good views, maybe it was the warm breeze flying by, or maybe it was the historical value. Maybe it was the fantastic nighttime light show. Its so hard to explain. There was nothing all that amazing on it, yet I loved it. I cant piece my feelings together. It was a very fun coaster that would be great for a family. It was fun...

You know, this ride wasnt half bad. It kept me out of my seat, but was way too rickety. I mean, I know its old, but Collosus is kept in good shape. It is nice, though, to have a coaster at the beach.

a grand old woodie that gives an out-of-control ride, which is surprising considering its slow speed. Its not overly rough though. My beef is the complete lack of air. I know others say they got good air, but I got none from the back row.

My family and I were driving back to San Diego, and when we passed by Mission Beach I knew we had to try the Giant Dipper. This seems to be one of the most classic coasters out there. I rode it at night, and it was just awesome. It has some very modern features despite its age, such as very high banks. It maintains its speed going over the hills, which many old coasters dont do. The tunnel and the beginning is a nice touch and the views are outstanding. The floater air on these old woodies is the best you can find. However, living near the Coney Island Cyclone, the Dipper just isnt the King. Although the Dipper has a more modern feel, the Cyclone is still the best classic because of its airtime and intensity. Also, I was upset that the Dipper didnt have old-fashioned cars like the Cyclone. However, still an outstanding coaster worthy of much attention.