Having been anticipating this coaster ever since I heard it was coming out, I had some high expectations for it, and its safe to say that the excitement was flowing in me. They were loading this ride very efficiently the whole day during my visit, and running 4 trains for much of the day, so the line really clipped along. The coaster does not seem to really be 200 feet (Im sure it is, it just doesnt look like it), but it is still plenty high, and once you get up there and approach the edge of the first drop, it is quite thrilling. The holding brake is awesome, especially in the front row, and the drop that follows a couple of seconds later is great. The massive immelman is a lot of fun, and I really like the headchopper that you get from the "floating" staircase on the MCBR that you swoop under. The turnaround to the MCBR provides some good forces, and the 2nd drop, though certainly not as good as the first, is still cool. The water splash is not really noticeable from on the ride, but skimming over the water is neat, and the water splash looks great to watch from off the ride. And a nice surprise is that just when you think all the forces are over, you hit the final turn into the station that tightens as you go through, providing some nice forces to end the ride with. Overall, this ride is just plain fun, which generally earns high marks from me. The only reason it earns a 9 is mostly due to its length. The whole thing is over pretty quickly, and I do enjoy long rides (I think just about everyone prefers a long ride to a short ride, except perhaps in the case of old Arrows or Vekomas ), so it gets a 9 from me. Not quite a spectacular as I was expecting, but it was also more pure fun than I was expecting, and that is definitely something I look for in my top coasters. So while SheiKra doesnt claim a spot in my Top 5, it does sneak into my Top 10, which is most certainly something to be proud of.

SheiKra is a very special kind of coaster that is a one of a kind (at least in the US). It is a short ride which brings lots of complaints, but I think that people are looking at this much to critically. The other two coasters of this format are a single drop, then its done. They have added height, an Immelman, a second drop, and a water spashdown to this most recent installment of dive coasters. I can see dive coasters becoming a commonplace in parks in the recent future with more elements added in time. I love the first drop and the 5-8 seconds of hanging looking down at the ground. The second drop into the tunnel was accompanied with solid speed. It is really fun to watch people standing next to the water splashdown and getting soaked. Be careful when walking past SheiKra. It just take poor timing once and you get soaked.

I fear my review will read just like BobFunlands since we talked about the merits and drawbacks of this ride for hours. I was hyped for the front row and stared down at the rails inverting inward which was neat but the hold should have been longer and left you a little more perpendicular to the ground. And it sure didnt feel or appear to be 200 ft from the ground. But there were no great sensations/surprises during the ride. Ill go as far as to say the ride from the front is only a 6 or 7. Its not to short but there are many lulls in the ride.

However, the middle row and back row are much better. I think I experienced much freer out of the seat air since Im short and my shoulders are further from the OTSRs. My butt was off the seat until the bottom of the two drops. That air alone makes the other rows an 8-9 in my book.

Other positives are the theming and ride ops (quick loading and dispatching).

Half of the reason of driving 480 miles to Tampa was to conquer SheiKra, Americas first B&M dive coaster (or Vekoma flying dutchman, depending on what merchandise you are looking at LOL). Getting to Tampa the night before, I drove around near the park and caught a glimpse of the ride, and I couldnt wait for morning to come so I could ride. Accompanied by Larrygator, we picked the first row on our first ride, and I expected it to be the place to be. Well, that first ride was a disapointment. The holding brake did little for me, and I still have trouble believing that the ride is 200 tall. Whatever, the ride could overcome that, correct? Well, not in this case. The immelman was kinda dull since it didnt seem too forcefull from the front and the drops were just "good". Probably a 7 at best from the front, but by now you see that I have given it an 8. This comes after three more rides, two in row #2 and a thrid in the back row. These rows both provided considerable airtime on the drops, especially the first drop in the middle row. Not the best out there but good for a coaster with OTSRs. There are some nice positive Gs in the immelman from the back rows, and a weird weightlessness from the right side of the train going through the Immelman. The water effect is really cool to me, though even in the far side of the back row, I barely got wet (more of a mist). Its fun to see the huge "rooster tails" (I think thats what they were called) and the kids getting soaked at the end of the pool. Overall, a nice ride with some neat and unique experiences, but not something to throw in my top 10.

Websters Dictionary defines a roller coaster as: "a small gravity railroad, especially in an amusement park, having a train with open cars that moves along a high, sharply winding trestle built with steep inclines". Well, Sheikra fulfills that to the T. This is an outstanding coaster. It provides one of the greatest drops in the world when you start out. There are brakes that hold you there for a few seconds and then, Good Lord! I have never felt wind in my face like that before. It sends you into an enormous Immelman and then around onto another hill and another drop. This one into a tunnel and then up and around over Zambia Smokehouse and into the water splash which doesnt get you wet; on the ride. However, if you have a desire to get soaked just stand in the splash zone as the train leaves the water splash and goes up towards the brakes. Plenty of water is splashed over a wall and into the walkway. People have complained that it is too short but I dont agree. I believe it is just right. It is 3188 long, while Ice & Fire are 3200; Montu is 3983; and Top Gun-The Jet Coaster is 2956. My point is, these coasters normally dont catch flak for being too short and Sheikra shouldnt either. While I am sure Diving Machines are capable of more, we will have to wait. In the meantime, this coaster is just amazing. Few rides can provide such a rush even once, this provides it twice. I got to sit in the front row. They didnt force people into specific lines unless a row was full. The trains have stadium seating so the third row is higher than the first and second which looks like it provies a great view and ride no matter where you sit. She has jumped to #4 on my list and I cant see much changing that. Be prepared for an impromptu facelift.

Sheikra is an excellent ride that delivers two extreme pull-down airtime experiences, plus a nice Immelmann loop. The first drop is out of this world, and let me tell you if you havent ridden in the back, you havent fully experienced Sheikras force. My first ride was in the front, where I believe most steel coasters are superior. It was very good...getting the view of the first drop was almost Acrophobia-esque, however it was in the back where this ride sealed its spot as a "9". The back seat gives INSANE pull-over airtime on both drops, and you still get a great view due to the seating arrangement. It has height, it has speed, and its drops are truly unique. Sheikra is a WINNER!!!

Amazingly, we got on this baby three times in thirty minutes at about 12PM, and then walked on the single-riders line about four hours later. The ride itself is great. The lift is really steep and builds the suspense. The slow turnaround at the top of the hill is also awesome, providing great views of everything and just going slow enough to get you really anxious about whats coming. The pre-drop brake is amazing, especially in the front seat. It loses a lot of suspense in any other seat, however. But, this is also the only time on the ride where I find the front to be the better ride. The backseat is where its truly at. The first drop takes you over with just a bit of force, and it lifted me out of my seat for the entire duration, with just a bit of floater airtime. The Immelman is intense, nearly causing a blackout, and the helix up to the second drop is also really fast. The second drop, while heavily braked [for effect], is still taken fast enough to cause floater airtime in the back seat, and the dive into the tunnel is a great element. Unfortunately, the turnaround and the water splash are the last two things, and its done! The water splash is a great effect in that it creates a great off-ride sensation while not overly affecting the ride itself. Im also glad that the riders dont get wet, as it would tarnish the ride for me [I go on water rides to get wet, not coasters!]. The short layout hurts the ride, although not enough for me to say that its painfully short [like Volcano]. The ride is very smooth, the drops are breathtaking, the elements that are there are great. If there were more, this would definately be a 10-rated coaster. However, as is, the ride is GREAT, just not quite long enough to deserve a 10.

This was my second ride of the day (after Gwazi). I was in the Sheikra area, getting splashed by the water strip thingy, when my dad decided to go on it before Kumba instead of after. The line was only about 45 minutes, and I got front row. It dipped, and went right into the lift. It was pretty comfortable. And slowly creeped to the drop (boring). It caught onto a weird-looking chain, and went down just a little. The drop looked small, but I knew it was 200 feet, so I didnt know what to expect. The wait was pretty long, then "click!" I popped right out of the seat and floated down the drop, and it went right up into the awesome immelman. It had a surprising amount of airtime. Right up into the mid-course brakes, I wanted more. The drop wasnt thrilling enough. The train slid forward to the second drop, which appeared to be sharper than the first. Smash, I floated again, and had a sharp landing. It slowly went into and out of the water thing, and went onto the brakes.

I took another ride later in the day because Montu was closed. I got second row, and I enjoyed it much more than the first time. It just felt windier, faster, and just more fun, although I didnt float as much on the immelman. Overall, it was a good ride, but it was too short, and the drops werent big enough for me. If the ride had more to it to make up for the drops, then I mightve rated it higher. I want to give it a 7.5/10, but I guess Ill round up.

Well, after moments of deliberating I am going with an 9, I debated on an 8. What I love about this ride is the first hill and the second hill, of course. I mean being dropped straight down like this is a huge rush. However, there isnt much of a ride after that. The general track layout is pretty lame and short. The water effect adds some but just not enough for me to think that this ride deserves anything more then a 9. I rode it twice, once in the back and once in the front. The front is definately much more intense. In general I liked this ride, I just think that all of its punch is in the hills. I just wanted more of a ride!

I really wanted to give SheiKra a 10 so bad after hearing about it, but it just falls too short b/c of its track length. It might also be b/c I was highly anticipating all week for it to be one of those rides which can never be beat. The wait for SheiKra was around 45 min., but the line was continuously moving along. I enjoyed the 45 degree lift hill to the top of the 200 ft. lift hill as Ive felt like I was almost lying down on my back. The holding brakes b/f the 200 ft. 90 degree plunge was truly a signature element as it was built to provide a highly anticipating moment for the 1st drop. After about 4-5 seconds, the train just cruised on right through the 1st drop. That drop had some great airtime coming down. If only I had my hands up on the 1st drop. Then came the 165 ft. immelman, which had some nice airtime coming out of it. The carousel turn after that was very intense. After the mid-course brakes, we went through the 138 ft. 81 degree plunge which had some great airtime on it too. As we went through the tunnel, some water dropped right into my eyes. After the last drop came another signature element, the water splash. Although you dont get wet on it, it was a nice touch of adding that extra theme for the ride. I didnt really see it all that well b/c of the water in my eyes. Finally the ride was over. Overall, SheiKra was a great experience & my 2nd coaster to stand at least 200 ft. Its definitely a better ride than the Steel Force. The 1st drop was amazing & its a great addition for BGTs already impressive steel coaster collection. If the ride had some more elements & the track length was longer, its more than worthy of a 10. Although its not better than Kumba & Montu in my opinion b/c of its lack of forces, dont even think about passing by SheiKra at BGT w/o riding it at least once to experience the USAs 1st & only B&M dive machine. You wont be disappointed.