We now know the name of the new Bolliger & Mabillard family inverted coaster coming to SeaWorld San Antonio next year.
Barracuda Strike will open in 2026 at the Texas theme park. It's the third B&M family invert in three years for the United Parks group, following Phoenix Rising at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in 2024 and Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf’s Revenge at Busch Gardens Williamsburg earlier this year. Click on those links for our reviews and on-ride videos.
The stats on Barracuda Strike will be similar to Phoenix Rising, with a top speed of 44 mph and a track length about 1,800 feet. The Texas coaster will stand 10 feet taller than the Tampa installation, however, at 90 feet.
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I think most of the improvements between Phoenix rising and BBW is mainly the length, theming, and capacity. While the length for Barracuda is shorter, there's no saying that the capacity and theming of this ride will be as bad as of now. And any "step backwards" is probably SeaWorld's fault, not B&M.
I feel like this would have been a better fit in San Diego (which doesn't have a junior coaster) than San Antonio (which just added a new junior coaster this year), but I suppose the logistics around the former forced them to choose the latter. Sounds a lot closer to Phoenix Rising than Big Bad Wolf, which is fine and more in line with family inverted coasters as a type anyway. Not something I'd make a trip for, but might be enough for me to visit the park again next time I'm in the area.
I think this will be a great addition to SWSA. I visited this park in the spring and felt while it was nice, it lacked family attractions and their new kids area was subpar, especially when compared to SFFT which has gotten a lot of investment over the past decade or so. With the shows being de-emphasized and a shell of what they once were, the Sea World parks need to step their game up with the rides and aquariums if they want to stay competitive.
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There was hope that this next iteration of B&M's family invert would take another step forward in the design, but it seems like they're taking a step backwards. This really seems to replicate some of the same issues/mistakes with Phoenix Rising instead of building on the improvements made with BBW. It's not clear whether this will be accompanied by a new animal habitat, but I certainly hope so given the location of this coaster between Steel Eel and Wave Breaker has just the Penguin Encounter in that area of the park.