Diamondback (Kings Island)

Construction of Diamondback began on October 11, 2007, with the removal of a tree. Swan Lake was drained and filled with concrete before opening day in 2008; this would become the location of Diamondback's splashdown element. Kings Island started teasing visitors during the Fourth of July weekend in 2008 with signs saying, "Ride Sally ride" and "Steep incline ahead." Diamondback was announced on August 6, 2008, as the largest investment in Kings Island history. The ride was topped off with the lift hill on October 30. The last piece of track was installed on January 26, 2009. Testing began the following month. Diamondback officially opened on April 18, 2009. Diamondback reached a milestone of one million riders in July 2009, and another milestone of ten million riders in July 2014. First rider auction On February 3, 2009, Kings Island announced they would hold an auction for the first riders on Diamondback. The winners of the auction would be given a commemorative first rider ticket, a special gift from the park, and an admission ticket. All proceeds from the auction would go to A Kid Again non-profit organization, formerly known as Adventures for Wish Kids. The first rider auction raised $102,000. The first eight trains, or the first 256 seats were auctioned off. The average bid was $398 per seat. ==Ride experience==

After the train leaves the station, it begins its ascent up the chain lift hill. Once reaching the top of the hill, the coaster drops at 74° over the Rivertown midway reaching speeds up to . It then curves to the right up a hill, past Mystic Timbers' first drop, and then dives into the ravine, curving again to the left. The ride then ascends a camelback hill and drops, curving left into the hammerhead turn. After dropping out of the hammerhead, the train travels up a hill (which has a trim brake). After the fourth hill, the train turns down into a 287° counter-clockwise helix, containing the on-ride photo camera, and into the mid-course brake run. After the short brake run the train drops down into the ravine, raising into a pair of bunny hop hills before entering the final clockwise helix of 323°. After the final helix, the train passes over the Rivertown midway a second time and drops into the splashdown finale, slowing the train down before going up another hill into the final brake run. After braking, the train takes a left U-turn and heads back into the station. One cycle of the ride lasts about 3 minutes. ==Characteristics==

Diamondback is the first hyper coaster to feature a splashdown. Scoops positioned at the back sides of the last car on each train send water soaring at heights of as the train passes. Splashdowns generally do not cause riders to get wet; they are used for a visual effect as well as to slow the train down. The splashdown is located in the former Swan Boat pond. For the 2018 season, the original red seats were replaced with new black ones. The steel track is in length and the height of the lift is approximately . ==Awards==

Diamondback won the award for "Best New Attraction in 2009" from the National Amusement Park Historical Association. Also the roller coaster was ranked second in the Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards for best new ride of 2009. {{GTA table == References ==