After having our attempts to ride Hydra Fighter II (new Caripro suspended water-coaster) thwarted last time by a storm, we returned to Emerald Pointe, rain-check in hand, for another visit. After renting lockers and such, we set out to ride Hydra Fighter II first thing, not making the same mistake as last time of riding other slides first.
Upon reaching near the end of the line we chose to the ride in the front, saying we would ride in the back facing backwards later (more on that later). The elevator lift pulls the train up 60 feet above the ground then lets it sail onto the 1300 feet of track. The ride is smoother and longer than the Super Saturator at Carowinds, but Super Saturator is faster with MUCH more water-effects. Hydra Fighter II is definitly a fun ride, but Super Saturator is the better of the two. Maybe it would help if they would explain what the 4 buttons on the cars do and how they correspond with the traffic lights along the track....

For most of the rest of the day we rode almost all of the many great slides at Emerald Pointe and spent much time in the amazing wave pool they had there, and to our demise Hydra Fighter II had frequent breakdowns at the end of the day. We were unable to ride it again in the back. However, we did get to ride almost everything the park had to offer, and it was a good visit.

For photos of Emerald Pointe and Hydra Fighter II, visit http://www.starcoasters.com (we are experiencing server problems at the moment so if it doesn't work try back later). Also, I took some good video shots of Hydra Fighter II, and I am working on rendering a music video for starcoasters.com.

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-Jonathan Hawkins
JonathanHawkins.Net | Carowinds Connection

Yeah, Hydra Fighter II needed a lot more water effects. Those geysers only hit something like 1 out of 20 or 30 cars, the guns can't even reach the cars, and I don't know what the heck those buttons do. What was up with the traffic lights and the buttons? Were they part of the theming, or do they actually do something?

Also, I was kinda hoping when there was a line for 'Bombardiers and Gunners' that you could drop bombs or have a water gun. Not the case I guess. Unless if it's those freakish buttons again...

And Emeralde Pointe has awesome slides. Blue Streak, Tornado, and Easy Rider are smooth and fast. I didn't really like Dragon's Tail too much. Double Barrel Blast can be fun too. Daredevil Drop and Twin Twisters are insanely fast and fun, but can also get very rough. A friend got whiplash on Twin Twisters. The holes at the top are a nifty way to show speed though. Runaway Rapids and Raging Rapids are an easy way to get injured. They're not bad, but they hurt. Same with Bonzai Pipeline (Actually, it's called something else now, I forget). I don't go in the wave pool anymore, cause I ALWAYS lose my tube

Y'know, I just noticed that I posted a full review. Got a little carried away there, didn't I?

If you're in the area, check this place out. It's definitely worth out. Next, I need to try the Skycoaster there, I've always chickened out at the last moment...

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